Crushed
by embrace-the-deception
Summary: Finn, Kurt and Blaine are involved in a horrific car accident. One of them is severely injured in the crash, and everyone's afraid he might not make it. Klaine with a bit of Finchel and Finn/Quinn. COMPLETE
1. I'm Complete

**This is my first Glee fic, so I hope I'm getting the characters down right. Please review, I'd love to hear what you think!**

**This is set not long after 'Original Song'. There's obviously a bit of beaten up Finn, Kurt and Blaine. Klaine and Finchel with a little Finn/Quinn are the main pairings.**

The afternoon had been long, but not boring. Just an average, sunny Saturday afternoon, the type that's best spent with friends. And family, Finn thought, glancing over to Kurt in the passenger seat of the car. They were on their way back home after spending the day out. Flicking his gaze up to the mirror, Finn shot Blaine a quick glance. The guy was pretty cool, Finn had to admit. He knew Kurt really liked Blaine, and as long as the guy didn't do anything stupid then Finn was sure they'd get on just fine. Stupid like what he'd done at Rachel's party. Luckily that was all in the past and both Kurt and Blaine were past it now. Finn smiled to himself. Now all he had to do was get him and Rachel to that point and everything would be fine. But then of course, there was Quinn…

"What are you smiling about?" Kurt asked, raising his eyebrow at his stepbrother.

Finn chuckled, "Nothing."

The teenager turned his attention back to the road. Almost home. Blaine was supposedly spending the rest of the afternoon back at their place. Finn wasn't sure how Burt was taking the whole 'Kurt and Blaine' thing, but as far as Finn could tell he was taking it remarkably well. After all, it wasn't as if the guy was like Karofsky. Now _there_ was a guy that deserved to get his head pounded in. Finn was sure something was up with Karofsky, but there was nothing he could prove and if Kurt knew something, he wasn't saying it.

Finn sighed as he focused on the road, the sound of Blaine and Kurt talking in the background fading out. Wow, how much drama could one family go through? It seemed never ending, but at least for the moment things were going smoothly.

He didn't see the other car until it was almost too late. It drifted over from the opposite lane, slipping right in front of him at the last possible moment. Finn swore and spun the wheel. The car swerved violently, Kurt yelping in surprise as it skidded into the next lane.

"Crap!" was the last thing Finn heard before the car slid right off the edge of the road and there was an almighty crash. Something hard smacked into his forehead and everything was suddenly plunged into darkness.

**/\/\**

Kurt glanced over at his stepbrother as he saw a small smile appear on the taller's face.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked.

Finn looked over to him for a moment and chuckled, "Nothing."

As Finn turned back to the road, Kurt twisted his head to see Blaine. In the backseat, Blaine rested one arm on the back of Kurt's seat and smiled.

"I think we should do this again," he said.

Kurt smiled in return, "Sure, as long as I get at least one date to myself."

Blaine laughed, shaking his head, "Have I ever told you that you're adorable?"

"Numerous times. But don't feel like you have to stop."

Before Blaine could respond, the car jolted beneath them. Kurt cried out in surprise as he whipped his head back around to see the car now careening towards the edge of the road, and the embankment. His breath caught in his throat in the split second that they rolled over it, the car twisting upside down. Everything went black.

**/\/\**

Blaine leaned against Kurt's seat, smiling as he thought back to their day. He definitely liked Finn. He was the greatest brother anyone could ever ask for. He was just what Kurt needed when things got a little tough. Then again, Blaine thought, now Kurt had him for that.

The focus of his thoughts turned around to look at him. Blaine smiled at him, loving the small smile he got in return.

"I think we should do that again," he said, in all honesty. Blaine couldn't think of any other two people he would rather spend time with.

Kurt's smile widened as he replied, "Sure, as long as I get at least one date to myself."

Blaine laughed as he shook his head. His boyfriend – yes, _boyfriend_, as he could now proudly say – was honestly the most adorable person he'd ever met. He took the chance to tell Kurt just that once again. As Kurt replied, Blaine's eyes shifted suddenly to the road as he felt a sudden movement in the car. He saw the other car drifting in front of them, felt Finn swerve their car to avoid it. He swore loudly as the car shot off the edge of the road, Finn no longer able to control it.

The car rolled, the roof crushing as it slammed down the embankment. Blaine caught Kurt's terrified eyes in the mirror just as something crashed into his chest and forced him down. His vision went hazy as the car rolled again. By the time it hit the ground the second time, Blaine's world was dark and unfeeling.

**I know this first chapter's really short, but I figured this was a good point to leave it at :P Please review!**


	2. Get Your Heart Racing

**Hope you enjoy this chapter. Lots of angst and tears within - you've been warned! :P**

**I've got a general idea of how long this is going to be. I've already written about 7 chapters so far, and it'll probably be about ten or eleven in all. Klaine is definately the major focus of this story, Finchel and Finn/Quinn are kinda a side story but it is there. Hope you stick around for the rest of the story, please review! Thank you so much to those who already have. I would reply but I don't get much time on the internet now that mine's not working. But thank you so very much, I really appreciate it :D Hugs to you!**

Kurt groaned as he opened his eyes. Groggily, he blinked and looked around in confusion. It took only a moment of seeing the smoke, twisted metal and shattered glass to remember. He froze, breathing fast.

"No, no no. Oh my…" he mumbled under his breath as he scrabbled for the seatbelt. It still held him firmly in the seat and it unlatched relatively easily. Free of the restraining belt, Kurt looked to the driver. Finn lay slumped against the steering wheel, bleeding badly from a massive gash on his forehead. He wasn't moving apart from the slight shift of his body as his chest rose and fell. At least he wasn't dead.

"Finn?" Kurt called, scared by how loud his voice seemed in the silence. Finn didn't respond. Kurt shook his shoulder, hoping that would at least make him move. But he was still. The teenager remembered the other passenger suddenly, panic setting in.

"Finn? Blaine? P-please don't b-be dead," he stuttered in fear as he twisted in the wreck to find Blaine. His legs were pinned under the metal but he managed to wriggle them free. On his knees, he searched the smoky backseat with his hand, groping for something. Anything. All he got was cold metal against his hand. He couldn't see much with the choking smoke but by the crackling sound in the background, Kurt figured something was on fire. He had to get out.

He turned to the window, thankful that the car had landed right side up. He crawled out of the shattered window, landing on the ground heavily. Pain shot up his leg as he hit the ground and he cried out. But he shakily got to his feet, ignoring the blood dripping down his leg or down the side of his face. For the first time in his life, he didn't care that he was covered in dirt, soaked in blood. Didn't care that his clothes were torn and shredded. All he cared about was getting two of the most important people in his life out of the car.

He staggered over to the driver's side door. The window was already smashed and Finn was still unmoving against the steering wheel. Kurt tried opening the door. After a few tries it swung open with a metallic squeal, useless. Kurt leaned over and unlocked his stepbrother's seatbelt before grabbing his shoulders and trying to haul him out of the car. But Finn wouldn't budge.

"Of all the people to get into a car accident with," Kurt muttered, knowing his fear was overtaking him. Finn was unconscious, Blaine nowhere to be found. Fire flickered in the grass around the wreck, tormentingly close. Kurt tugged on his brother again, to no avail. He was just too heavy.

"Are you okay?"

The new voice came from behind. Kurt spun to see a stranger there, a man in his thirties looking concerned. Flicking his gaze upwards, Kurt saw the embankment they'd tumbled down. Grass and dirt had been torn up, leaving a trail all the way down. He could see where the car had been airborne, where it had struck a small boulder. Kurt glanced back at the car, seeing it properly for the first time.

He sank to his knees. The front of the car was bashed and torn, but in relatively good condition compared to the rear end. That was obviously the part that had struck the boulder, as the roof was caved in deeply. Kurt wasn't sure if anyone could survive being crushed under that. It must have been a devastating blow. It could have even cracked Blaine's skull, crushed his chest…

Kurt felt arms haul him to his feet and start to pull him away. He fought them. Finn and Blaine were still in there. He had to save them.

The stranger was already pulling Finn from the wreckage. As he hit the ground suddenly, Finn coughed and groaned. Kurt could easily have died in that moment. His knees went weak again as Finn struggled against the hands helping him up.

**/\/\**

Finn felt something burning in his head, something solid surrounding his chest. Then, in the darkness, he hit something equally as solid. His eyes flew open, his vision blurry. Out of the fuzzy shapes he quickly pieced together what had happened. As he remembered shooting off the embankment, Finn panicked.

"What…crap…" he stumbled, hand to the gushing wound above his eye "Kurt? Kurt, where's Kurt?"

"Finn!"

Finn twisted as he heard his brother's voice. He breathed a sigh of relief and pushed away his rescuer to stagger over to Kurt and hug him tightly.

"God, if I'd killed you…" he said, shaking from both fear and shock "Are you okay?"

The pair stared at each other, Kurt trembling just as much as his brother. He managed to swallow and get out a few words through his shock as he glanced back at the car.

"Blaine. He's still in there."

Finn understood even before he saw the horrific mess left of the car. If Blaine wasn't okay, then neither was Kurt. And looking at the flattened rear end, Finn wasn't sure if Kurt would ever be okay. Was it possible that Blaine had survived that?

He hoped to God that he had. He knew he couldn't live with himself if he'd just killed his brother's boyfriend. The only guy Kurt had ever liked, ever kissed, ever fallen so completely for.

A woman put her hand on Finn's shoulder, looking from one brother to the other with kind hazel eyes.

"I've called an ambulance. Are you both okay?"

Finn looked down at his brother. Kurt tried to speak, but couldn't. Finn saw him fighting tears, felt him shaking and leaning into him for support. He shook his head to the woman as he held his brother tightly.

"There's still someone in there. He's in the back."

The woman shot a glance at the car and raised an eyebrow in disbelief. She looked back, guiding hand on Finn's back.

"The paramedics will get him out. Let's get you out of here, okay?"

As she started to move the boys, Kurt panicked. He pushed Finn away and took a step towards the mass of twisted metal.

"No! Blaine!"

"Kurt!" Finn tried to calm his brother "Come on! We gotta move!"

"I'm not leaving Blaine!" Kurt sobbed, tears now free as he shoved Finn violently. Twice as strong as Kurt, Finn pulled his brother against his chest and held his arms to his sides. Kurt struggled, crying and shouting until he ran out of energy. He collapsed against Finn, incoherent. The woman gave Finn a sympathetic look, the slight look of her own fear in her eyes. She was worried for the boys; Finn could see it.

She helped the brothers up the steep embankment, Finn helping Kurt when he stumbled. He'd put a foot down on an unstable rock or clump of dirt and slip, but Finn would keep him on his feet and moving. When he saw a smudge of blood on the grass, Finn kept Kurt's tear-filled gaze away. They reached the top fairly quickly. As they stumbled out onto the road, Finn risked a glance down at the wreck. He felt sick at what he saw. It looked twice as bad from up high, the car crushed like a bug. They'd fallen so far; it looked like the car had been dropped from a five-storey building, not rolled down a slope.

Finn turned his attention back to the road and the activity around him. Cars were stopped, their drivers either standing there confused or in shock, or were down at the car trying to help find and pull Blaine from the wreckage. Finn recognised one car, its driver sat against the tire sobbing. The anger that welled up inside him at the driver scared him and he held onto Kurt tighter. No one was dead. There was no need to get angry. At least not yet.

**/\/\**

Kurt couldn't leave Blaine. When he felt Finn try to make him walk away, he fought back. There was no way he was going to leave Blaine down there. If he was alive…

"I'm not leaving Blaine!" he screamed as tears spilled down his face. He couldn't hold them back anymore – he didn't have the energy. It was seeping out of him slowly as he fought against Finn's grip on him. Eventually, he just let go. He didn't have the energy to move anymore, let alone fight. But he knew he would never forget the utter and overwhelming guilt that consumed him as Finn helped him up the slope.

When he reached the top, he looked around. He saw cars stopped around the place, but his attention was on one car only. The driver, a young woman with dark hair and eyes, was sat leaning against her front tire, sobbing into her hands. On the wind, he could hear what she was saying to the man comforting her.

"I didn't mean to! I didn't! It was an accident! Oh God, did I kill someone?"

She looked up just in time to see them. Her eyes widened and she scrambled to her feet, running over. Kurt could barely stand to look at her. This was the woman who may have killed Blaine.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. Are you alright? Thank God I didn't kill anyone. Did I? Please tell me no one's dead," the woman rambled, her gaze flickering from Finn to Kurt.

"Our friend's still down there. Don't know if he's okay," Finn replied, his tone angry but tired. He was exhausted, Kurt knew. He knew because he was exhausted too. He felt as if the weight of the car itself was on his chest, pressing tight against him and stopping him from even breathing. Everything was just slowed down to a fraction of its speed, and nothing was making much sense.

Except one thing. Blaine was still down there. And he might be dead.

**/\/\**

Smoke. He could smell smoke. And metal, that smell of metal and grease he'd been assaulted with when he'd gone to Kurt's dad's garage. Pooling in the back of his mouth he could taste something liquid and salty. He coughed, the liquid spurting out his mouth and dripping down his face.

Blaine opened his eyes slowly.

He paused for a moment, regarding the mass of twisted metal mere millimetres from his face. Moving his head would be impossible – more so because he couldn't really feel anything at all. He had vague feelings in his limbs, so he was relatively sure they were still attached. He just couldn't feel enough to move them. Everything was there, but he was numb. Couldn't, wouldn't move.

From his limited sensations, he knew he was on his back and pinned to the seat by the caved-in roof. His legs were twisted awkwardly to the side, still stuck where they had been before the crash. The torn roof above his head pressed hard against his chest. But he didn't feel any pain. It was surreal.

He heard something faint and quiet, far away. But despite that, Blaine knew exactly what is was.

"Finn? Blaine? P-please don't b-be dead," Kurt's scared voice called.

Blaine wanted to call out, reassure Kurt that he was okay. He was alive. But he just couldn't get the words out. He tried to yell, shout, speak, even whisper. But the words just wouldn't move into the air. No matter how hard he forced them, he couldn't do it. Just breathing was hard enough. With every breath that salty liquid bubbled up in his burning throat. He heard vague sounds – a thud, screech of metal on metal, more voices. Now he couldn't make out the words; they were too far away. He tried to focus on the sounds but darkness was pulling on him. He fought it for as long as he could, but finally he succumbed.

He released himself to the darkness just as he heard a panicked, terrified scream.

"No! Blaine!"

"I'm not leaving Blaine!"


	3. How Can You Do This Thing To Me?

**Didn't realise how short this was D: I'll post the next chapter too for you guys, cuz you're awesome and you deserve more than this tiny chapter :P**

**I've finally finished the whole story - a full 14 chapters long. Some longer than others, some shorter. Like this one, meh. Anywa, hope you enjoy, and sorry for the wait! Internet still isn't working, which is really annoying. **

Finn was glad when the ambulance finally arrived. He was sat against one of the cars with Kurt. His stepbrother was scarily still, no longer crying. He barely even breathed, just sat there leaning his head on Finn's shoulder as he stared off into the distance. The ambulance pulled to a stop close by the point where the car had gone over the edge and a group of paramedics jumped out. Two walked over to where Finn and Kurt where sat, the other two were called down to the crash site.

"Hey boys," one of the paramedics, an older man around his late forties with a slightly balding head, said "You were in the crash?"

Finn nodded. The second paramedic, much younger at about twenty five with bleached blonde hair and green eyes, bent down to examine the brothers' injuries. Kurt jumped in surprise as Blondie put his hand on his shoulder.

"Hey kid, I'm just gonna check out your leg, alright?" he asked, Kurt nodding dumbly. Finn had his gash poked and prodded by the older man, then bandaged. The younger man announced that Kurt would have to go to the hospital to get his leg looked at properly and fixed. The elder agreed.

"I want both of you to get checked out. You could have a concussion or some other complication with that head injury, and you'll probably need stitches" he directed his comment at Finn.

"I'm gonna call my parents," he said, suddenly realising they would have no idea. He fumbled for his phone, finding it still intact in his pocket. Quickly he found and dialled the number.

"_Hello?"_ Burt's voice answered.

"Hey," Finn replied. Worried by how shaky his voice sounded.

"_What's happened? Are you okay?"_ Burt demanded, hearing the tremble.

"I…there was an accident. I tried to avoid this car, and I went off the road… and it's… it's not good."

"_Are you and Kurt okay? Where's Kurt?"_

"We're okay," Finn reassured him "But Blaine… he's still stuck. I don't even know if he's…"

"_I'm coming. Are you at the hospital?"_

"Going now."

"_I'll meet you there. Don't worry Finn, it'll be fine."_

Finn hung up, shoving the phone back in his pocket. He helped Kurt to his feet, the teenager still in shock. The paramedics led them to the ambulance and bundled them in the back.

"We're sending another one for the other kid," Bald Guy said, reassuring both boys that Blaine was going to be looked after. When they finally got him out.

The drive was mostly quiet. After a few minutes of driving, the older man tried to star a conversation. Finn got the sense it was mostly to keep their minds off the accident. Kurt was already in shock and Finn couldn't stop thinking about the crash. What if he'd killed Blaine?

"So, you two are brothers?"

Finn nodded in reply, "I'm Finn, and this is Kurt."

"The other kid?"

Finn glanced at Kurt for a moment, fear creeping up inside. Would Kurt ever forgive him if Blaine was dead? He turned his focus back to the conversation quickly, shaking his head to rid himself of the thoughts.

"Blaine. Kurt's boyfriend."

Bald Guy stiffened slightly at the revelation that Kurt was gay. He shot the kid a look, but said nothing about it. Finn kept a protective arm around Kurt, signalling that whatever negative thoughts the guy had, he could keep them to himself. Paramedic or not, Finn would still punch him in the face.

**/\/\**

"Finn! Are you alright?"

Finn turned at the sound of his mother's worried voice. He saw the woman almost running down the hall, followed by his stepfather. The pair reached him, Carole throwing a hug around him.

"We're okay," he replied, hugging her back.

"Where's Kurt?" Burt asked, the worry obvious right across his face.

"Here."

The three turned as Kurt spoke. He walked over to them, his leg freshly bandaged. There was the slightest hint of a limp, but something only his family caught in their worry for him. Burt hugged his son.

"Thank God you're okay. What happened?"

Finn explained, having heard the part of the story from the woman who'd cut him off, "This woman fell asleep at the wheel and drifted in front of me. I swerved and went off the embankment. We still don't know what's happened with Blaine yet."

At the mention of his boyfriend's name, Kurt's breath hitched and he closed his eyes for a moment. Finn bit his lip, feeling more and more guilty by the second. He'd done this. If he'd had more control over the car, if he'd seen the woman earlier, if he'd done _something_, maybe Blaine wouldn't be in this situation. Whatever this situation was.

"Out of the way!" someone yelled as a gurney was rolled down the hall at a fast pace. The family jumped out of the way, glancing at the unconscious person strapped to the bed as it passed. Kurt gasped as he saw the face.

"Blaine!" he yelled, running after the doctors and nurses that were wheeling Blaine away. Finn ran after him, hope rising in his heart. Blaine obviously wasn't dead. There was a chance he'd pull through. But Finn had seen the massive injuries – or at least some of them. His face had looked horrific, barely recognisable. Blood and grime had covered him.

"I'm sorry, you can't go in there," an official-looking doctor said, stopping Kurt from running through the swinging double doors through which Blaine had disappeared. Finn had to grab Kurt before he launched himself at the man.

"Why not?" Finn demanded.

"They're treating him at the moment. You'll have to wait"

Finn paused and opened his mouth to retaliate, but Kurt started yelling in his place, "Please, let me through!"

"I'm sorry," the man said again, shaking his head "When they've finished treating him you'll eventually be allowed to see him. Until then, you'll have to wait."

Finn pulled Kurt away, as much as it hurt to hear his brother crying out again with that same pain-filled voice he'd had back at the crash. But he couldn't let Kurt see Blaine looking like that.

"Come on Kurt, just wait. He'll be fine, they're fixing him now," Finn tried to calm his brother down. He heard their parents behind him, Burt moving to stand in the way as Kurt wriggled free of Finn to tackle the doctor. Burt wrapped his arms around him, his son collapsing into choking sobs.

Finn couldn't bear to look at his brother. He was the one who'd caused this pain. He was guilty.

**Please review! I'm not sure if I'm getting the characters down right, so I'd love to hear what you think.**


	4. There Ain't Nobody Who Can Comfort Me

**Enjoy the Glee/Warbler love! Protective Mercedes, Possessive Quinn and Scary David. Pretty much sums everything up, along with Extremely-Depressed/Angsty Kurt. But of course, you knew that :D Please review! I've never written David or Wes before (then again, never written any of the Glee kids at all) so hopefully they're okay. **

"FINN HUDSON!"

Finn jumped as he heard his name being yelled at the top of someone's lungs. That someone turned out to be Mercedes. She and the nearly all of the Glee club were storming towards him, like a massive wave of worry and relief. Finn managed to crack a smile as his friends reached him.

"What the hell happened?" Tina asked, looking at Finn's injury strangely. Puck was also inspecting it, poking it once. Finn winced and slapped his hand away.

"Dude, did that need stitches?" he asked, impressed.

"Like, ten or something."

"Whoa, wait up," Mercedes butted in, silencing everyone before glaring at Finn "Where's my Kurt? What exactly happened?"

Finn bit his lip, loathing having to tell the group about the problematic situation. Since the accident six hours ago, Kurt had had a semi-breakdown. He refused to move or leave the hospital until he got to see Blaine. He wasn't eating or talking, except to repeat his demand.

"I want to see Blaine."

Finn started to explain, "This driver was asleep at the wheel, and she cut me off. I ran off the embankment to avoid her. Kurt and I are okay, but Blaine was in the back. The rear end was completely crushed, and now they're trying to fix him. Kurt's in shock or something. He's really freaked out."

Mercedes softened when she saw the worry in Finn's eyes. She knew Finn was the best brother Kurt could ever have and as long as Kurt was okay, she was happy. But by the sound of it, he wasn't.

"Where is he?" Brittany asked.

Finn gestured to the door, "Burt made him take a walk to get some food, but he won't eat anything. Just wants to see Blaine."

That was when Finn finally noticed who was missing. Rachel wasn't there.

For the next ten minutes, Finn answered his friend's questions. Artie wanted to know if the other driver had been hurt, and the entire group was furious to learn she hadn't been injured in the slightest.

"That's just not fair!" Mike said, the rest agreeing.

"Yeah!" Lauren put in "She puts three kids in the hospital 'cause she couldn't keep her eyes open, and she gets away with nothing?"

Puck and the other guys were more than prepared to go hunt the woman down for hurting Finn and Kurt, but the former stopped their plans.

"She was really sorry. It's not like she meant to try and kill us. It was an accident. And so far, no one's dead."

Then Quinn had made absolutely sure he was okay, asking question after question about how he felt. In the end, Sam told her to shut up. He was obviously fine.

Then Kurt came back.

Mercedes turned to run over to him as he and Burt entered the waiting room, but paused. She noticed how quiet he was, how withdrawn and cold he looked. He still wore the torn and dirty clothes he'd crashed in, blood smeared across the fabrics. Mercedes, and everyone else for that matter, knew that was the biggest sign that something was wrong with Kurt. He should have been having a fit over his sorry state, not looking so dejected and quiet. She walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey Kurt, you okay?"

"I'm sick of everyone asking me that!" Kurt snapped, pushing her hand away. Mercedes frowned in confusion, the rest of the group staring with worry.

Kurt continued, "I'm not fine, okay? My whole body hurts, I'm exhausted and sometimes I can't even breathe because I'm terrified that Blaine's going to die. Okay?"

The room was silent as Kurt swallowed after his rant, trembling. Burt stepped back as Mercedes stepped forward. She wrapped both arms around him, knowing Kurt better than anyone else.

"We're here for you. No matter what happens, alright? No matter what."

Kurt nodded into her shoulder, "I know. Thank you."

"That's what friends are for."

In the silence that followed, Finn caught sight of movement outside the waiting room door. Two boys walked into the room, looking at the Glee kids strangely. One, a black teenager, raised an eyebrow at Finn whilst the other flicked his gaze over the others. Then his eyes rested on Kurt and Mercedes.

"Kurt!"

The boy looked up and managed a half-smile for his friends, "Wes, David. You made it."

"You know these two?" Puck asked, sizing the pair of them up, arms folded tight across his chest.

"Yeah, they're from Dalton. Warblers," Kurt answered, taking Wes's extended hand. Wes pulled him into a one-armed hug, David never taking his eyes off Finn. His gaze travelled over Finn's stitched gash.

"You're Finn? Kurt's brother?" he asked finally.

The other nodded, feeling uncomfortable under this guy's stare. Kurt interrupted with introductions.

"This is David," he said, pointing at the kid currently trying to bore a hole into Finn's head "And this is Wes. Guys, these are my friends from McKinley."

The Glee group introduced themselves one by one, Puck giving David a dark look as a warning.

"So how's Blaine? What exactly happened?"

Kurt fell silent, Finn taking over to explain once again how the crash had come about and where Blaine was. David and Wes were just as silent as Kurt when Finn finished, the pair glancing at each other with worry. Before anyone could say anything else, an older woman poked her head into the waiting room.

She was short, with blonde hair streaked through with light brown. She had it pulled back tightly in a ponytail. Glasses were settled on her small nose, pale blue eyes flicking from person to person in the room before she spoke.

"Anyone here family of Blaine Anderson?"

Kurt jumped a mile, eyes wide. Wes, David and Finn also turned to look at the woman, instantly curious.

"His family's not here yet," David answered "But we're his friends. Is he alright?"

The woman surveyed the gang of teenagers that had all but taken over the waiting room. She paused for a moment, thinking.

"He's in Intensive Care at the moment. I'm sorry but I can only let family and close relations see him at the moment, but I can tell you about his condition."

"I'm his boyfriend," Kurt said quietly "Can I see him?"

The woman regarded him for a moment, the McKinley group instantly on guard for anything she might say. But then she smiled.

"Of course, you count as close relations. If you come with me, I'll take you to him."

Kurt stepped forward, glancing back for a moment to Finn. He nodded, gesturing for him to go. Kurt didn't need to be told twice. He ran out the door and after the woman who was already walking away.


	5. This Is Real

**Again, short chapter. But I'm not going to give you two this time. I'm so evil ;P Haha, thank you for all the lovely reviews, you people are AMAZING! Love you all :D**

"His condition isn't good," the woman, who'd introduced herself as Blaine's doctor Kiara Jameson, said "There was significant damage."

"Is he going to be okay?" Kurt asked quietly as they walked along the stark white corridor towards Blaine's room.

The doctor shrugged, "We won't know for sure until he wakes up - he's currently in a coma. It's helping his body deal with the stress of the crash."

"A coma?"

Jameson nodded, "Yes. He took a great deal of damage in the crash. The roof caved in and crushed him down onto his back. It was extremely lucky it didn't hit his head, as he probably would have been killed on impact. But the roof did crush his chest. He's got a few broken bones, but it's his other injuries that are the most severe."

Kurt nodded, listening in horror. Killed on impact? Blaine had been within an inch of death, yet here he was. Fighting for life. In a coma. That car-weight on his chest was beginning to return, constricting his chest and making it hard to breathe. He jogged to keep up with the doctor as she continued.

"He has internal injuries and bleeding, which we've fixed as best we can. We're pretty confident they'll heal okay, but it will take some time. He did hit his head but it doesn't seem to be anything too serious. We're monitoring him to make sure his brain doesn't start swelling and that there's no permanent damage."

Jameson stopped outside a door, Kurt halting beside her. Through that door was Blaine, unconscious and hurt. Was he ready to face that? He shakily gripped the doorknob and turned it, wondering what he would find on the other side.

Stepping inside, Kurt saw Blain instantly. The breath caught in his throat as he bit his lip. He looked awful – worse than awful. Bandages were wrapped around his forehead, bruised eyes closed in unconscious sleep. A tube was taped to his mouth, breathing for him. More bandages swathed his chest, all pristine white but Kurt knew that underneath there was all that blood, all that injury. How was Blaine supposed to come out of that? That, the sleep that held him away from the world so he could heal?

Kurt stretched out a hand and brushed Blaine's bandaged one with his fingers. He was so cold, so lifeless. Kurt remembered the moments before the crash. They'd been talking, smiling and laughing, like nothing bad could ever happen. Like nothing could ever tear them apart. But something had. Something had just come along and ripped Blaine away from him at the speed of light. It just wasn't fair. Kurt could barely see the Blaine of before. The smile was gone, the laughter trapped in a frozen, torn body. Now he was silent. Would he ever come back?

"We don't know when he'll come out of the coma. It's something he has to do when he's ready. He'll wake up when his body's ready to deal with that. Meanwhile, anything familiar to him will probably help him recover. Nobody really knows for sure, but it's said that a comatose person can still feel and hear. Either way," Dr. Jameson said quietly, as if reading his mind "It can't hurt to try."

Kurt nodded, hearing the door close almost silently after she finished. Alone, Kurt wondered what to say. He held Blaine's hand, bandages rough under his palm. He sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the still figure of Blaine.

"Please be okay," he whispered "Just wake up and be okay."

A moment later the door slammed open and Kurt jumped. He spun, pain shooting up his leg, to see two strangers run into the room. One was a man with short dark hair and eyes Kurt knew he'd seen before. He wore relatively casual clothing, a blue shirt with black pants. The other was a beautiful Hispanic woman, tall and slim. Her knee-length summer dress clung to her in all the right places, long legs accentuated by killer red heels. At least, they would have been if she weren't holding the pair of shoes in her hand.

Kurt started in shock. It was obvious who they were. He didn't have to see the clear similarities between them and Blaine – all he had to do was look into their eyes. That pain, that shock that hid in there made it all too apparent to Kurt that he was in the company of Blaine's parents.

"Who are you?" Blaine's father demanded as he saw Kurt standing beside his son's bed. Kurt stammered, not sure what to say. Did they know their son was gay? That he had a boyfriend? The best he could do in his awkward situation was to stutter out his name.

"K-K-Kurt…"

"You're a friend of Blaine's, aren't you?" the woman asked, much softer and gentler than her partner "He's mentioned you."

"I thought it was family only," Blaine's father said, fixing Kurt with a dark glare. Kurt stepped back, intimidated by the intensity. It was if the man knew. Knew but wasn't sure. Kurt was relatively sure that they knew their son was gay – after all, he'd switched to Dalton because of the bullying, right? But Kurt had the sick feeling that Blaine's father wasn't so supportive.

"I-I-I," Kurt gave up and backed away to the door, keeping wide eyes on Blaine's father. He didn't know why he was so scared of this man. Karofsky was the only person that had ever induced such absolute fear in him.

Before he knew it, Dr. Jameson was there, a hand gripping his shoulder tightly.

"He was in the crash with Blaine," she explained smoothly before turning to Kurt "I'll take you back to the waiting room, okay?"

She clearly wasn't going to take no for an answer as she pulled Kurt out of the room and let the door swing shut behind her. She walked Kurt down the hall, hand loosening on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she said "I didn't realise they would react like that."

"Neither did I," Kurt replied, the words barely escaping his mouth.

He was silent for the rest of the walk.

**/\/\**

Finn stood up when he saw Kurt enter the room. The rest of the New Directions turned his way, curious glances passing between them and to Kurt. Wes and David looked the most interested, hope flashing in their eyes.

"Kurt? How's Blaine?" Finn asked. God, he had to know. Was Blaine going to make it? Was Kurt ever going to forgive him for this?

Kurt was hugging himself, head lowered to face the floor. He was silent for a long time after the doctor left, just standing there. Finally, he spoke.

"He's… in a coma. He had internal injuries and his…"

He paused for a moment, regaining his composure. Finn moved to go to his brother but he was beaten to it – by Puck. The mohawked teenager patted Kurt's shoulder, letting him continue.

"The roof caved in on him and crushed his chest, but it could have been worse," he said, still staring at the floor "If it'd hit his head he'd be dead."

Finn felt like his insides were twisting up within him, trying to choke him internally. He'd been so close to screwing everything up forever. If the boulder had hit the roof in a slightly different way, Blaine could be lying in the morgue, not the hospital. He'd come within inches of killing his brother's boyfriend. All because he hadn't see the stupid driver sooner.

"The doctor said that they have to wait for him to wake up before they know for certain if he'll be okay, but she thinks there's no permanent brain damage or anything."

"So now what do we do?" Brittany asked innocently, Kurt flicking a sad glance in her direction. David answered for Kurt after a moment of silence, the answer they all knew but didn't want to have to hear.

"We wait. That's all we can do."


	6. Take A Chance

**Thank you so much for the reviews, I really do appreciate them. I can't always reply to them but just so you all know, I love you guys!**

_There it was. The phone was ringing, vibrating in his hand. Finn stared at it, seeing the caller ID on the screen. His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach, fear overwhelming him. Could he take this call? Could he live with the consequences of what he may have done?_

_Finn swallowed and answered the phone._

"_Kurt?"_

_There was silence on the end. No, that wasn't true. Finn could hear his stepbrother quietly crying. Oh God, this was it. Kurt was never going to forgive him for this. There was no way could ever even look him in the eye again._

"_Kurt, what happened?"_

"_He's gone!" Kurt yelled hysterically "He's gone! You killed him!"_

"Finn?"

Waking with a start, Finn bolted upright and stared at the wall opposite. His breathing started to calm a little, his heartbeat settling back into rhythm. Biting his lip, Finn tried to push the dream out of his mind. It wasn't true, just a nightmare. A scary, very real-feeling nightmare. One that may possibly come true. Because of him. Because he couldn't keep his damn eyes on the road long enough to realise there was a freaking car in his way.

"Finn?"

He realised Burt was calling him. Finn took a deep breath before climbing out of bed and calling out to his stepfather that he was on his way. He glanced at the clock on the way out of his room. Ten in the morning. Kurt would have already been at the hospital the moment he was allowed in at nine. Finn always made it down there an hour or two later to be there for his stepbrother. Kurt never woke him, and Finn knew he preferred to be on his own for a while. Of course, it didn't stop him from going down there to support his brother in case something happened. He hadn't gone back to school since the accident a week ago, unsure if he would be able to concentrate. He could barely concentrate as it was, so any extra stress didn't help.

He ducked into the kitchen where Burt was waiting.

"I know something's up with you. I don't know what and I'm not going to ask. It usually ends with you walking away anyway, and I still don't get my answer. But you know you can always talk to me about it, right?"

Finn nodded uncomfortably, tugging on his shirt. He knew that. But he couldn't tell anyone how guilty he felt. He'd tried that. Artie had said it wasn't his fault. From Finn's description of the crash, he couldn't possibly have seen the car in time. Lauren had agreed, saying it was an accident and it was the woman driver of the other car that should be feeling guilty. Finn was pretty sure she did, but it didn't change the fact that Blaine was lying in the hospital in a coma because of him. He'd been driving and he was responsible for Kurt and Blaine. Burt and Blaine's parents (perhaps not directly) had trusted him with their kids and he'd gone and screwed it all up.

Kurt had changed since the accident. Now he was quieter, more solemn. He pushed away anyone who tried to tell him everything was going to be fine, he pushed away those who tried to help him see that he was actually incredibly lucky for Blaine to even be alive at the moment. Worst of all, Finn thought, was that Kurt was pushing _him_ away. Burt and Carole too, but Finn was terrified that Kurt blamed him. As well he should, he figured. He'd just almost killed his boyfriend. And if he died? What then? Kurt would never forgive him. Finn would never forgive himself.

"Oh, and there's someone waiting for you," Burt added, pointing to the living room. Finn frowned, turning and walking into the next room curiously. He stopped cold when he saw who was sitting there, waiting.

"I'm sorry I haven't come around before," Rachel said quietly as she stood up.

Finn stared, feeling awkward. He hadn't seen Rachel since before the crash. She hadn't been to see him or Kurt in the past week and he hadn't even had a phone call or text. He'd been beginning to wonder if she'd died too.

Finn berated himself inwardly. Blaine wasn't dead.

_Yet_, a nasty little voice in the back of his head muttered rebelliously.

"Hey… Rachel…" Finn stuttered, unsure what to say. He'd been planning on going to the hospital to see Kurt and Blaine. Just to make sure the guy hadn't died overnight or something. Though he was sure Kurt was call him if it all went south, Finn still liked to see for himself. Make sure with his own eyes that he hadn't just done the most awful and horrible thing of his life – kill someone.

"I…I just wanted to come over and say… I'm sorry for not speaking to you earlier," Rachel continued, flicking her eyes up to look at him with sorrow "I didn't know what to say."

"Just as long as you don't say, 'it wasn't your fault', then it doesn't matter," Finn swallowed, running a hand through his ruffled hair. It was then he remembered he was still in the clothes he'd slept in.

"Look," he said, embarrassed, "I'm gonna go shower and get dressed. Maybe we can talk on the way to the hospital?"

It was the worst thing he could think of to say, but Rachel just smiled slightly and nodded. Relieved, Finn dashed off to his room. He grabbed his clothes and ran for the bathroom. In his entire life, he was sure he'd never had a quicker shower. He doubted anyone had. He was back down to Rachel in a record ten minutes.

"Wow, that was quick," Rachel tried to smile but failed this time. Finn offered her his hand, an embarrassed smile on his face. It was the most awkward situation he'd ever been in but somehow neither he nor Rachel seemed to mind too much. She took his hand, Finn revelling in the warmth and the feeling of her fingers twined with his. Holding hands with Quinn wasn't quite like this. It was colder, felt more forced.

He started for the door, glad the hospital wasn't too far away. He hadn't even gotten into a car since the accident and it gave him more time to talk to Rachel.

Funny, he thought, how everything was now 'before the accident', 'since the crash'. It used to be 'last Tuesday' or 'a couple days ago'. The crash had all but taken over his life. It didn't even leave him alone while he slept. No one knew, but he was still having nightmares about the crash, as well as that dreaded phone call he was sure was coming. In every dream, Blaine was dead and Kurt hated him. Over and over, it was endless.

Outside, as the pair walked along the sidewalk hand in hand, neither Rachel nor Finn really wanted to say anything. In the end, Rachel spoke up quietly.

"I'm really sorry."

"Why? It's not like you nearly killed someone."

Finn winced as he spoke. That was harsh and he hadn't meant it to sound so horrible. Rachel fell silent for a moment, then looked up at the taller footballer.

"That's the point, Finn. Nearly. You didn't kill him, and that's the good part. Sure, you crashed and Blaine's now in a coma and it's been ages…"

"Not helping."

"Right. Anyway, bad stuff happened. It happens all the time, right?" Rachel said "But there were good things too, Finn. Blaine's not dead. Kurt's alive. _You're_ alive. The driver of that other car's alive, although she may not deserve to be…"

Finn glanced down at Rachel as she descended into dark muttering and smiled. A moment later he realised what he'd done. Smiled. Happy smile. Not his usual I-want-to-get-out-of-this-conversation-so-I'll-just-smile-awkwardly-and-leave smile that he'd become used to over the past week. A real, happy smile for no reason other than Rachel.

Quinn wasn't the same. She was amazing, sure, but she wasn't the same. Quinn was everything Rachel wasn't. And Rachel was everything Quinn wasn't. It was as if they were two halves of the same person. In a totally non-creepy way.

"I'm sure Blaine will be fine," Rachel said.

Finn nodded, hoping it was true. Rachel looked up at him in his silence, regarding him carefully.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

Finn sighed, wondering if he should tell her. After all, everyone else just said there was no reason to feel guilty. It hadn't been his fault. But it didn't lessen the awful, gut-wrenching feeling that he was indeed guilty.

"What if Kurt never forgives me?" he asked quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"If it all does go wrong, and Blaine doesn't make it… what if Kurt can never forgive me? I can't… I don't know if I could…"

Rachel put a hand on his arm comfortingly, Finn biting his lip. It was pathetic, he knew. But that nightmare haunted him. It stalked him every waking and sleeping moment. He didn't care so much about the crash itself. It was losing Kurt that he feared most. Kurt was his brother, his friend. If he'd just destroyed that…

"Finn, Kurt will never hate you. Ever," Rachel said "He might yell at you, get angry and upset. Maybe he won't forgive you. But he won't hate you. You're still his brother."

Finn smiled at her. It as what he needed to hear. The fact that it came from Rachel made it even better. It made everything feel alright for a moment, made the guilt in his heart lessen just a little.

From his pocket, they both heard Finn's phone ring. They stopped, Finn frozen to the spot. He grabbed the phone and stared at the caller ID. There was Kurt's name.

"Finn, it might not be bad," Rachel started.

The footballer stared at his phone. Could he take this call? Could he face up to what he'd done?

**/\/\**

Over the last week there had been no change in Blaine's condition. Kurt was desperate to see him again but Wes and the other Warblers that had passed through to see Blaine had told him Blaine's parents were keeping vigil by his bedside. He couldn't face them. If they didn't know about him, it was better to keep it that way. Blaine didn't need to wake up to find out his parents wanted him out. Sure, it was a worse case scenario, Kurt thought, but still a possibility. So he stayed out of their way, as much as it was killing him to be separated from Blaine.

He knew Finn was worried about him. Everyone was worried about him. He also knew he should be angry about it. He wasn't five; he could deal with this and wasn't going to break any second. But he just didn't have the energy to be angry. Or happy. Or sad. He only went home to sleep, but even then he spent most of the night tossing and turning and wondering if Blaine was okay. Every morning he'd race into the hospital, hoping that there'd be some news. Maybe Blaine had woken during the night. Maybe there'd been some sign that he was coming out of his coma. But every day he would be disappointed. Even the young receptionist had come to recognise him, his hopeful face as he turned up each morning. He'd see her shake her head. She checked on Blaine just for him, almost wishing herself that something would happen. That way she wouldn't have to keep disappointing the sweet, hopeful boy and see that look of depression take over him.

The waiting room had become his second home. If it weren't for his parents and Finn he wouldn't have even gone home to sleep. It was the closest he could get to Blaine without hurting him. He'd walk past Blaine's room as often as he could, hoping to catch a glimpse. Sometimes he would. Sometimes his father would see him and turn those familiar eyes on him in a glare of anger. Sometimes his mother would look to him with hope and belief, almost asking him to come in. But he'd always walk away. It tore at him to do it, but he knew if they found out he was their son's boyfriend, he'd only be hurting Blaine. And he was _not_ going to hurt Blaine. Ever.

He was sat on the floor of the waiting room, staring at the wall blankly with knees up against his chest and arms wrapped tightly around them. He didn't realise someone had sat down beside him until they spoke quietly.

"I'd ask if you're okay, but you'd probably bitch at me. And I know the answer anyway."

Kurt tilted his head slightly to see Puck, regarding him curiously. The teenager and he had never been close – for a long time they hadn't even been friends. It felt strange siting here with Puck like this. He'd never known Puck outside of school except for the odd time he came over to see Finn. They'd never talked much, not even in Glee club.

"I would, but I don't really have the energy to be angry right now," Kurt said honestly.

Puck was quiet for a moment, staring ahead at the same wall Kurt apparently found so interesting. Kurt didn't look over at him, but knew instantly when Puck turned his head to glance at him.

"Look, I don't really know this kid…Blake, or whatever his name is…"

"Blaine," Kurt whispered.

"Anyway," Puck continued, staring at the wall again "I don't know him so well. I don't know _you_ so well. But Finn's worried about you. So I am too. And I may be failing most of my subjects, but I'm smart enough to figure out what's up with you."

"Oh?" Kurt asked tiredly "And what's that?"

"You wanna see this Blaine. Finn isn't going to stop moaning if you don't cheer up, so I'm gonna get you in there."

Surprised, Kurt looked to Puck. The pair stared at each other, one in shock and the other with confusion.

"What?"

"That… wow. I never expected that from you."

Puck shrugged noncommittally, looking away. Kurt almost smiled. Almost.

"Look, this is for Finn, right?"

"Yeah."

"Right," Puck said, standing up and reaching down a hand to Kurt "Let's get you in, and them out."

Kurt looked from Puck to his outstretched hand, before cracking a half-smile and taking it. Puck helped Kurt up before steering him out of the waiting room.

"Lead the way," Puck said, Kurt shaking his head before walking off in the direction of Blaine's room.


	7. The Silence Is Slowly Killing Me

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviews this. I love all the story alerts and favourites, but if you do add this story, please tell me why! I love to know what you guys think, whether it's just 'it's cool' or a page long rant about how awesome/crap this is :P**

**This is a Glee story, so there _has_ to be some singing. So here you go - singing! Haha, hope you enjoy thic chapter! **

Kurt's excitement built slowly as they made their way towards Blaine. He hadn't seen him since his parents had burst in and was desperately hoping that _something_ had changed. As he neared the room, saw those familiar numbers that marked where Blaine lay, Kurt halted. This was insane. Absolutely insane. But it was too late to back out now, and there was nothing Kurt could think of that he wanted more than to see Blaine.

Puck walked into the room first, blocking Kurt's view.

"Who are you?" a female voice asked. Kurt recognised the voice as Blaine's mother. Perhaps this would be easier than he thought. The woman seemed to be the nicest of the pair.

Before Puck could reply, the woman spoke again, "Are you a friend of Kurt's?"

Puck paused, "Uh, yeah, actually."

"Could you tell him something for me?"

Puck was silent for a moment, slightly confused as to the strange turn of events. Then he stepped to the side to reveal Kurt behind his larger frame. Blaine's mother smiled when she saw him, inviting and gentle.

"Thank you Puck, but could you leave us alone for a second?" Kurt asked quietly, glancing up at the footballer. Puck, confused, ran a hand through his mohawk and backed out of the room. Kurt shut the door behind him, grateful. He'd never expected Puck to do something so nice, especially for him. It was out of character. But if he hadn't suggested it, Kurt knew he never would have had the courage to come and do this alone.

"I was told you were in the crash with Blaine," the boy's mother said, brushing a stray strand of dark hair over her ear. She wore skinny jeans like Kurt, only hers were white instead of black, and she had on a floating blue shirt that rustled every time she moved. She seemed intimidatingly taller due to her sky-high heels but for some reason Kurt wasn't afraid of her. He actually quite liked her. If circumstances weren't the way they were, Kurt thought, maybe they could have been friends.

"Yeah." Kurt's voice was low, quiet.

There was a long silence, neither quite knowing what to say to each other. Kurt kept his eyes firmly on Blaine, still lying unconscious and motionless on the bed. When the woman spoke again it surprised Kurt. He looked up into her eyes.

"You're more than a friend. Am I right?"

She spoke so softly. Like it was just an average question, one that didn't hold so many complications. Kurt stared into her dark grey eyes, unsure what to say. With just a glance, it seemed as if she didn't really care. Did she mind that her son was gay? That he had a boyfriend? Her husband certainly did – Kurt was sure that Blaine's father would have a heart attack if he found out his son was dating another boy. Would she tell him?

One look into her eyes told him everything.

"I'm…" Kurt hesitated "I'm his boyfriend."

The woman smiled, a beautiful thing to see, "I figured as much. Is that why you were avoiding us?"

Kurt nodded slightly and Blaine's mother gestured for him to sit down. They both took seats at Blaine's bedside, Kurt focusing on his boyfriend so he had somewhere to look.

"I knew he was different for a long time," she said quietly, almost to herself "Since he was little. I always knew there was something different about him. He told me a few years ago that he was gay. He knew I'd keep his secret from his father. Jack isn't exactly the most accepting of people."  
>She paused for a moment.<p>

"I always wondered if he'd bring someone home."

Kurt bit his lip at that. He couldn't imagine living in such a situation where he had to hide who he was from his own family. Sure, Burt was a little unsure about some things about his son, but Kurt knew his father accepted him for who he was regardless. Carole accepted him, Finn accepted him – those were the people that mattered. Kurt couldn't imagine how Blaine must feel at home, so awkward and having to hide everything from his own father. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. Kurt could bring Blaine over and Burt wouldn't have too much of a problem with it. Blaine could never do that – he could never introduce Kurt to his parents and say 'Hey, this is my boyfriend'.

"You seem like a good kid, Kurt," Blaine's mother continued, Kurt managing a half-smile "Blaine's said a lot about you."

With that, she stood up and patted Kurt's shoulder. As she reached the door, she paused and looked back. Kurt shot her a glance.

"I'm Theresa, by the way."

Kurt nodded, smiling slightly. She smiled in return before walking out the door to leave Kurt and Blaine alone.

Kurt stared at the unmoving bandaged figure before him. The only sounds were from the machines keeping Blaine breathing and alive, the regular whooshing and beeps breaking the silence. Kurt held Blaine's hand and bit his lip. This wasn't right. The room was too quiet, more than it should be with Blaine in it. Blaine would never let a room be this boring and silent – he'd fill it with talking, laughter or even song. He'd make everyone else laugh along with him, Kurt more than anyone.

Kurt didn't realise he was filling the silence with his own quiet singing until he felt a single tear drip down his cheek.

_Sweet love, sweet love_

_Trapped in your love_

_I've opened up, unsure I can trust_

_My heart and I were buried in dust_

_Free me, free me_

_You're all I need when I'm holding you tight_

_If you walk away I will suffer tonight_

Kurt tightened his grip on Blaine's hand, determined not to let go. Familiar would help him, the doctor had said. Well, Kurt didn't know if there was anything Blaine would recognise more than his boyfriend's voice. So he continued singing, quiet and soft. He barely remembered hearing the song before but somehow he brought the words up.

_I found a man I can trust_

_And boy, I believe in us_

_I am terrified to love for the first time_

_Can you see that I'm bound in chains?_

_I finally found my way_

_I am bound to you_

_I am bound to you_

Blaine still wasn't moving. Kurt didn't expect a miracle, but he was wishing for one. Wishing that he could see Blaine just open his eyes and smile. Wishing that he didn't feel so alone and cold anymore.

_So much, so young_

_I've faced on my own_

_Walls I built up became my home_

_I'm strong and I'm sure there's a fire in us_

_Sweet love, so pure_

_I catch my breath with just one beating heart_

_And I brace myself, please don't tear this apart_

Now he remembered where he'd heard the song before. The memory flashed up in his mind as he sang. The musical had just come out and Blaine had wanted to go see it. Kurt hadn't minded at all. It had been before the first kiss and Kurt had still been hoping for something more between them. Blaine asking him to go with him to the movies to see it had almost been a dream come true. And sitting in the cinema, beside Blaine, watching Christina Aguilera's character belt out her heart-wrenching song, fingers had brushed. It was so innocent, so surprising. Kurt hadn't really paid attention to the rest of the movie after that. But that song had stuck.

_Suddenly the moment's here_

_I embrace my fears_

_All that I have been carrying all these years_

_Do I risk it all?_

_Come this far just to fall, fall_

_Oh, I can trust_

_And boy, I believe in us_

_I am terrified to love for the first time_

_Can you see that I'm bound in chains?_

_And finally found my way_

_I am bound to you_

_I am_

_Oh I am_

_I'm bound to you._

As he finished, Kurt wiped his tears away with the back of his hand. He stared at Blaine, so cold like him. Kurt didn't know when it had started, but at some point after the crash he'd just gone completely cold. Like a shiver running up his spine because of a chill. But it had stayed, seemingly permanent. Now he was just cold all the time, inside and out. He tried to hide it from his family – they had enough to worry about – but he was sure they had noticed.

He knew Blaine's mother – Theresa, he remembered – was outside waiting for him to leave. She'd probably heard the song. Puck had probably heard, if he hadn't already left. Puck was a good guy inside, but not the most reliable.

As Kurt moved to let go of Blaine's hand, he felt something. Something small.

He felt Blaine's fingers twitch.

**The song is Bound To You from the movie Burlesque - not mine! Please review!**


	8. Just One Touch, Now Baby I Believe

**Thanks for all the reviews! I wish I could reply to them, but I can't - I still appreciate every single one of them though :D**

**Yay for Blaine, Finn and Kurt. And Puck :P Gotta love those boys**

"Blaine?" Kurt asked quietly, hoping, not daring to believe it. He was desperate for it not to be his imagination. He was quiet, frozen, waiting for another sign.

It came. It was small and slight, but Kurt was one hundred percent certain he felt Blaine's fingers twitch in his grip. And again. It was no dream.

"Blaine? Can you hear me?"

This time he saw Blaine's hand shift, his fingers curl around his boyfriend's. Kurt gave a shocked laugh, grinning like a madman. He held Blaine's hand as tightly as he could, assuring him that he was there before turning his head to yell.

"Hey! It's Blaine! He's waking up!"

The door opened almost instantly, Theresa running in with a look of hope upon her face. Puck poked his head in, looking between Kurt and Blaine curiously.

"Can you get a doctor?" Kurt asked, Puck nodding as he disappeared.

Theresa sat on the other side of Blaine, taking his free hand and squeezing it tightly. Kurt bit his lip as Blaine moved again, this time tilting his head slightly towards him.

"Come on Blaine, open your eyes. Please, Blaine," Kurt whispered.

Slowly but surely, Blaine's eyelids flickered. Kurt held his breath, heart pounding. This was it. The moment he'd been waiting for weeks to see. Blaine gripped Kurt's hand as tightly as he could as his eyes fluttered open.

For a second, Blaine and Kurt just stared at each other. Just a split-second where nothing else mattered, no one else was there. Just the pair of them, alone and alive. They'd made it. They'd gone through so much, and now they'd made it. They were alive and whole, more or less.

And then Blaine started coughing violently. His eyes screwed up in pain as he tried to lift a hand to grab at the tube down his throat. Kurt shot a scared glance to Theresa as they both tried to calm him down.

"Blaine, I'm here. Just calm down, okay? You're okay, just relax," Kurt begged, hating how fearful and in pain Blaine looked. Blaine was gripping Kurt's hand like a drowning man held onto a rope, choking and coughing.

At that moment Dr. Jameson rushed into the room. She assessed the situation quickly and quickly moved into action.

"Blaine? You need to relax. The tube is helping you breath, you need to let it do its job. You just need to calm down and relax. Blaine, can you hear me?"

Blaine stared at her with wide eyes. Kurt felt Blaine's fingers relax their death-grip on his hand as the teenager slowly calmed down and stopped coughing. He flicked his gaze to Kurt worriedly, who squeezed his hand.

At last he calmed down enough to let the machine breath for him. Kurt could see the pain in Blaine's eyes though it was obvious he tried to hide it. He vaguely heard the doctor say he had to leave – she wanted to check him over. She had to repeat her words twice before Kurt heard them properly.

Kurt flicked his gaze between the woman and Blaine. He really didn't want to leave, not now that the boy was awake. He'd never thought he'd actually see this moment – guilt and fear had been gnawing at him for the past week. But he knew he had to leave in order for Blaine to get better. He bit his lip as he pulled his hand away gently. Blaine's fingers scrabbled for Kurt's, panic setting into his eyes.

"I'll be back. Promise," Kurt whispered, Blaine still looking worried as Kurt turned and left. He didn't look back – if he did, he'd just run all the way back and never leave.

Theresa was already outside, Puck loitering around uncomfortably. Kurt smiled at him gratefully. It was Puck that had given him the confidence to go and see Blaine. Puck nodded in return and, sensing an exit, disappeared.

"You woke him up, you know," Theresa said quietly.

Kurt looked up at her. Yes, he thought, he could definitely like this woman. Kind, gentle, nice – and understanding. Accepting. What more could someone want? He was glad Blaine at least had one person he could go to. One person in his family that didn't judge him or hate him because of who he was.

"It was your voice," she continued softly "He might have just slipped away…"

Trailing off, the woman walked away, putting a phone to her ear and starting to talk. Kurt caught the beginning of the conversation and a name. Jack. Blaine's father. Of course, he had to know his son was awake. But it meant Kurt couldn't go back for a little while. Just that thought tore at Kurt's insides. But he'd go back. He'd promised.

Kurt walked back to the waiting room, pulling out his phone as he went. There were a couple of people he needed to talk to. The first number he dialled picked up after a few rings.

"_Hey Kurt. Is everything okay? David and I are on our way, some of the others will be through later. Is Blaine okay?"_ Wes's worried voice made Kurt smile.

"Everything's fine, Wes," he replied "In fact, better than fine."

"_You sound happy,"_ Wes replied cautiously, David's voice in the background muttering a low 'for once'.

"I have reason to be," Kurt said, rubbing at his eye. No, he was so not going to cry on the phone to Wes. That was just… no.

"Blaine's awake."

There was silence on Wes's end for a moment. Just as Kurt began to wonder if he'd heard him, Wes laughed. A long, glad laugh.

"_You're kidding?"_

"No. He just woke up a few minutes ago," Kurt replied. He heard Wes pass on the news, David whooping and honking the horn. Obviously driving. The flicker of a dark thought crossed Kurt's mind but he pushed it out. Nothing bad was going to happen.

"_We'll be there in like, two minutes. Make sure he doesn't fall asleep on us!"_ Wes called before hanging up.

Kurt laughed quietly. Whilst the other Warblers had been through at some point or another, Wes and David had made the trip down as often as they could. They were Blaine's closest friends, the only ones out of the Warblers that had taken time off school to come and see him.

Kurt walked towards the waiting room, passing the receptionist on the way. She looked at him, seeing his happy expression. He smiled at her and gave her the thumbs up. The woman grinned, returning the gesture as he passed.

He flipped through the numbers on his phone, choosing the next one to dial. This one, he knew, was the most important.

**/\/\**

"You won't know for sure unless you answer it," Rachel said matter-of-factly.

Finn nodded dumbly. It was true, after all. And maybe Rachel was right. Maybe it wasn't all bad. Maybe Kurt wouldn't hate him.

He pressed the button to put Kurt on speaker so Rachel could hear.

"Kurt? Is everything okay?" he asked nervously.

There was silence of Kurt's end for a moment. Finn's heart thudded painfully against his ribcage as he waited in worry. It was just like his dream. Any moment now Kurt would start crying, and then he'd yell at him that Blaine was dead and it was all his fault.

A second later, Kurt tried to reply but his voice was choked with tears. Finn's heart no longer pounded – it dropped to the pit of his stomach.

"_He… Blaine…"_

"I'm so sorry Kurt, please don't hate me, I didn't mean to," Finn rambled, his worst fear realised "Please, I didn't mean to do it. It was an accident."

"_What are you-"_ Kurt paused, sniffing and calming himself down a little _"What are you talking about?"_

Finn stopped, just as confused, "What are _you_ talking about?"

"_It's Blaine,"_ Kurt replied, breath hitching with tears _"He's awake."_

Finn was unable to speak and just stared, gobsmacked, at the phone. No way, he thought. Blaine was alive? It was a miracle.

He hadn't killed Blaine.

That thought whirled around in his mind, pushing all others out. He hadn't killed him. Blaine was okay. He was awake.

"Jeez Kurt!" Finn stumbled over his words in his shock "Why the hell are you crying? You nearly gave me a freaking heart attack!"

Kurt chuckled on the other end, _"I'm happy, Finn."_

Finn let out a nervous laugh, "Rachel and I will be there in a couple of minutes. Don't… don't let him die on us, okay?"

"_Rachel?"_

"Hi Kurt," Rachel piped up, grinning "It's good that everyone turned out okay."

"_There's still a long way to go, but at least he's awake,"_ Kurt said.

After good bye, Kurt hung up. Finn grinned in relief, feeling as if a huge weight had just been lifted off his shoulders. There was no blood on his hands. Quickly he texted the rest of the Glee club with a simple, short message.

_I didn't kill him_

And with that, he and Rachel raced for the hospital.


	9. I'll Set You Free

**Thank you so much for the reviews! I hope you like this chapter, there's Blaine! **

**And just to clarify for later on in the chapter:**

**This writing is Blaine's**

_**This writing is Kurt's.**_

**Enjoy!**

True to their word, Wes and David ran into the waiting room less than two minutes after they'd been called. The pair saw Kurt and went over to him, grins plastered on their faces.

"He's still awake?" David asked.

Kurt shrugged, "He should be. It was only a couple of minutes ago that he woke up. His parents will be with him."

Wes and David nodded and raced off to find their friend. Kurt smiled sadly as they left. If only he could do that. But Jack was already suspicious of him and Kurt didn't want to risk it. He contented himself with the fact that he'd been there when Blaine had come out of his coma. He'd seen him open his eyes for the first time in a week.

Barely a minute after Wes and David had run off, the door to the waiting room was flung open again. This time it was Finn and Rachel that entered. Kurt stood up as Finn grinned.

"Don't ever scare me like that again," Finn said as he wrapped Kurt in a giant hug. When he was finally let go, Kurt nodded, laughing a little.

"It's not my fault you didn't let me finish," he shot back, arms folded across his chest.

Finn had the decency to look ashamed, but still smirked.

"Don't start crying on me then. You know I can barely tell the difference between happy crying and sad crying."

Kurt shook his head, smiling, "Next time, let the person stop speaking before you launch into a rant."

"There isn't going to be a next time."

**/\/\**

The next few days flew by in a blur. Warblers came and went, a couple of Glee clubbers turned up – Mercedes, Puck and Brittany. Mercedes came to support Kurt, and had been coming to the hospital every few days to make sure Kurt was looking after himself. Puck… Kurt wasn't sure why Puck turned up. The mohawked teenager came by with Brittany who was extremely glad that her two favourite dolphins were okay. Finn was a constant presence too, which meant both Rachel and Quinn had shown up at one point or another. Quinn had made the point of sticking close to Finn and continually calling him 'my boyfriend'. Kurt was sure she was becoming obsessive.

Blaine had mostly been asleep after the trauma of coming out of his week-long coma. Wes had said that he barely stayed awake for more than twenty minutes at a time, but he was slowly getting better. Kurt hadn't been back to see him yet – Blaine's parents were yet again a constant at their son's beside. Theresa had come down to ask if he wanted to see Blaine, but Jack had interrupted the conversation rather pointedly.

Kurt yawned, exhausted. It'd been a long day and he barely realise he was leaning on Finn's shoulder. Eyes half closed, Kurt vaguely wondered if Finn minded. Falling asleep on someone's shoulder was a little weird, especially when it was the stepbrother you'd once had the biggest crush on.

"Kurt!"

Kurt jumped upright as Finn jerked in surprise. The pair stared at the figure in the doorway. For a moment they thought it was a staff member coming to tell them to get the hell out of the hospital. It was getting quite late. But at a second glance Kurt realised it was just David. He'd gone to see Blaine one last time before heading back to Dalton.

"What is it?" Kurt asked sleepily, yawning once again.

David smirked, "Blaine's asking for you."

It took a moment for that to get through Kurt's exhausted head. When it finally hit him, Kurt grinned. He stood up, a little wobbly. By the time he righted himself and looked back to David, the teenager was gone.

"Go on," Finn said with a long yawn "I'll wait here. We can head back home afterwards."

Kurt nodded before heading towards Blaine's room.

When he finally made it, Kurt slowed to a stop just outside the room. He glanced inside to check for Blaine's parents. No one was there. No one besides Blaine himself. He was sat up in bed, the tube that had kept him breathing now gone. Obviously the injuries to his lungs had healed enough for him to breathe on his own. Blaine saw him and smiled. In relief, Kurt walked in, sitting down beside Blaine. Their hands instantly slid towards each other and Kurt's fingers entwined unconsciously with Blaine's.

"I'm sorry I didn't come by earlier," Kurt said "Your dad's kind of suspicious already and I didn't want to…"

Blaine suddenly let go and grabbed something lying half under the blankets. Kurt smiled when he saw the clipboard with paper and permanent marker. The doctor had said something about his vocal chords and throat being bruised from the crash. Kurt had the fleeting thought that Blaine may not be able to sing again. But he forced it out of his head. Whether of not Blaine could sing didn't matter – as long as he was alive. Kurt looked at the paper. On the top sheet was big thick lettering asking one question.

**WHERE'S KURT?**

Blaine ripped it off and scribbled something on the next sheet. He hid it from Kurt until he was finished.

**What's up with my Dad?**

Kurt paused, wondering if he should worry Blaine with something he didn't need to be thinking about. But he deserved an explanation for why he hadn't been around, so Kurt took the pen from Blaine and wrote his reply.

_**I figured your parents didn't know we were dating. Your dad didn't quite look like the type of person who would accept that. Your mom knows, but your dad's suspicious. I didn't want to make things any worse.**_

Blaine rolled his eyes and gave Kurt a pouting look before snatching the pen back.

**I'm not deaf**

_**I know. It's more fun this way though, isn't it?**_

The pair looked at each other and grinned. Kurt laughed quietly as he handed the pen back to his boyfriend, Blaine shaking his head with a smile.

**You're right. And Dad knows I'm gay, but he'd be more than angry if he knew we were together**

_**Well it's lucky he doesn't know. Anyway, I'm glad you're okay.**_

**So am I, and I'm glad you're okay too. What about Finn? Wes told me he was alright…**

_**He's fine. Although when I called him to tell him you were awake, he freaked out and thought I was going to say you were dead. He feels guilty.**_

**It was an accident though, right?**

_**Yeah, try telling that to him. But it doesn't matter. You're alive and that's all that's important at the moment.**_

**I'm glad you were there. I would have freaked out if you weren't. Seriously, I would have thought you were dead. Or worse**

_**What's worse than dead? **_Kurt asked, not sure he wanted to hear the answer. But Blaine slowly wrote his reply, a single word that Kurt didn't ask any explanation of.

**Gone**

They were silent for a moment, neither taking the clipboard to write. They stared at each other, Blaine's eyes seemingly darker thanks to the bruising around them. At last, Blaine scribbled something else down on the paper and handed it to Kurt.

**I heard you**

_**What do you mean?**_

**In the car. Here. I could always hear you. And everyone else, but mostly you. I missed you when I couldn't hear you**

_**You were awake in the car?**_

Blaine saw Kurt's horrified face and quickly wrote reassurances down, his hand going back to grip Kurt's tightly.

**Only for a little while. I heard you calling my name. Then I blacked out, but I could still hear some things. I heard the paramedics who were trying to pull me out. And the doctors. And my parents, and Wes and David and all the others. And you**

_**The doctor said you could.**_

Blaine smiled, one-handedly writing a few words. When Kurt read them, he relaxed a little.

**I heard you sing**

_**Really? What song was it?**_ Kurt asked with a cheeky smirk.

**That one from Burlesque. Bound To You, right?**

_**Yeah, that's the one. I don't know why I was singing it, I just remembered it…**_

**I remember when we went to see it. Best night of my life. Did you know the movies are the best place to hold hands and not have the other person think you're a total freak?**

_**I'd been waiting for you to do that for ages. I don't even remember the end of the movie because I was hoping you'd do it again. **_

**I don't remember it either – I was wishing I could do it again too**

_**Jack and Ali get together, right?**_

**I hope so. We should watch it again**

_**Can we hold hands again?**_

**Sure. We can make out too if you want, but you might miss the end again :)**

Kurt giggled, Blaine grinning like an idiot. It was times like these that Kurt had missed over the past week. Just sitting around together, alone, talking and laughing and not having to worry if someone would hear them and interrupt.

_**Oh no, Blaine Anderson. You've still got a long way to go before you're ready for that.**_

"Excuse me?"

Both boys turned to the door as the voice interrupted their silence. A young nurse was standing in the doorway, looking at the teenagers with a smile.

"You'll have to leave, I'm sorry," she said to Kurt.

He nodded and she left, leaving the door open as a hint. Kurt turned back to Blaine, writing one more comment.

_**I'll be back tomorrow. Promise. **_

**I'll miss you**

_**I'll miss you too.**_

Kurt handed back the pen and stood up, walking to the door. He gave Blaine one last glance before shutting the door behind him and walking towards the waiting room, where he knew Finn would already be asleep.


	10. I Let My Walls Come Down

**Thanks so much for all the support and the reviews - you guys mean a lot to me :D Hugs to you all!**

The next morning, Kurt made it to the hospital the same time he always did. Except this time he didn't head to the waiting room – he went straight to Blaine's room. He smiled at the receptionist as he passed her, and she smiled in return.

He reached Blaine's room quickly and looked inside. The teenager was scribbling away on his clipboard, intensely interested in what he was writing. Kurt watched him for a moment, leaning against the door. His dark eyes skittered across the page as he wrote, pausing for a moment to think before resuming his mad attempts at writing. At last, Kurt cleared his throat and walked in.

Blaine jumped and looked up, immediately ripping the piece of paper off the clipboard and shoving it under the sheets. He smiled at Kurt as he sat down in the plastic chair beside him. Kurt rolled his eyes. The smile didn't fool him for one second.

"What were you doing?" he asked causally. Blaine shook his head, keeping his mouth shut and writing hand still. Kurt just shook his head with a smile.

"You sleep okay?"

Blaine wrote down his answer, handing it and the pen to Kurt.

**Guess so. Chest hurts, but after I just had half a car rammed into it I think I'm allowed to complain**

Kurt smirked as he replied.

_**Fair enough. Then again, you didn't have to nearly carry Finn home because he kept falling asleep.**_

**Sounds hard. Finn's a giant**

_**Tell me about it. **_

The pair chatted for the next half an hour until Kurt started to yawn. He tried to hide the fact that once he'd gotten home he'd only slept for about three hours despite his absolute exhaustion, but Blaine picked it up quickly.

**Go get some coffee. I'll still be here when you come back.**

Kurt nodded. The possibility of falling asleep mid-conversation was quite likely at the moment and while Kurt knew he needed the sleep, he preferred to spend his time awake and with Blaine. He could always sleep more tonight. He stood up and headed for the door, smiling to Blaine as he left. Blaine returned the smile.

Kurt was barely out of the door before he ran into someone. He looked up and froze, rooted to the spot. Jack stared down at him with oh-so-familiar eyes dark with anger and suspicion. They were silent for a long while, neither of them moving until Jack put a large hand on Kurt's shoulder.

"I know something's up between you two," he whispered, voice grating "Stay away from my son."

With that, he shoved Kurt out of the way and walked into Blaine's room to greet his son. Kurt stared, shaking. Jack was getting closer and closer to the truth every day. How long could they hide it? And more importantly, Kurt thought as he walked away for the coffee he'd told Blaine he was going to get, what would he do if he did find out?

It should have taken less than ten minutes to get himself a coffee, but Kurt drew it out as long as he could. He didn't want to go back while Jack was still there. The longer he waited, the more likely it was he wouldn't run into the guy. But eventually the coffee had been drunk and there was nothing left to do. Kurt sighed and started back for Blaine's room. He walked as slowly as he could but as he neared the room he heard the faint sounds of shouting. He quickened his pace until the words were clear enough to hear. As he listened, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"You…how…" the familiar voice spluttered "I thought you were over that."

There was silence for a second, Kurt imagining Blaine responding. Then the fury of Jack began again.

"You, Blaine, are a disappointment. I did my best and this is what you give back to me? You disappoint and disgust me. If you weren't already in hospital…"

Jack trailed off, then the sound of something solid hitting the wall. Kurt winced at the sound and as Jack resumed his tirade.

"Either you give this shit up now, or you don't step foot in my house again. Is that clear?"

Silence. Kurt shook, waiting for Jack's next outburst. It took a moment and when the man finally spoke again, it was with uncontrollable anger.

"Oh, so it's that fag over your own family? Then that's how it's going to be! You're going to wish you'd thought about this, Blaine. Because when you come crawling back home asking to be let back in, you can be sure I'll shut you out. You made your choice!"

Jack stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him so violently the wall shook with the force. He caught sight of Kurt a few paces away and glared, turning the full force of his anger onto the teenager. He took a step forward and shoved Kurt against the wall.

"You turned my son into a fucking fag. I so much as see your face again, and I'll make sure mine is the last _you_ see."

With one final shove, Jack let go of Kurt and stormed off, pushing through a crowd of nurses making their way down the hall. Kurt put one hand out on the wall to support him. He'd never heard such poisonous words before – not even Karofsky had been so bad. Death threats; he'd gotten those. But the abuse Jack had just hurled at his son was inexcusable. It was horrible. It was unfair and cruel.

Blaine. Kurt pulled himself together and pushed open the door to his boyfriend's room. His heart broke as he saw Blaine sat up on the bed, arms held tightly across his chest in defence. His face was screwed up with pain and tears and he was struggling to hold them back. Across the room lay the chair Jack had obviously thrown in his anger. On Blaine's bed was the clipboard, the top sheet of paper covered in writing. Kurt ran over and sat down on the bed beside Blaine, putting an arm around his shoulder. Blaine leaned into him, breathing deeply despite how much it must have hurt his chest. Kurt stared at the writing, replaying the argument in his mind.

**I can explain. You won't like it, but it's the truth. I'm dating Kurt. I'm in love with him**

"_You… how… I thought you were over that."_

**I'm gay, Dad. It's not something you 'get over'**

"_You, Blaine, are a disappointment. I did my best and this is what you give back to me? You disappoint and disgust me. If you weren't already in hospital…"_

**You can't change it Dad. It's just who I am. Please-**

The writing stopped abruptly. Kurt figured it was the point at which Jack had thrown the chair.

"_Either you give this shit up now, or you don't step foot in my house again. Is that clear?"_

**I love you Dad, and I love Mom. But I love Kurt too, and I can't give him up just because you say so. Please don't hate me Dad, please don't make me choose**

"_Oh, so it's that fag over your own family? Then that's how it's going to be! You're going to wish you'd thought about this, Blaine. Because when you come crawling back home asking to be let back in, you can be sure I'll shut you out. You made your choice!"_

Kurt turned his attention to Blaine, who was currently leaning on his shoulder and shaking with the pressure of trying to hold back his tears. Kurt wrapped both arms around his boyfriend. Blaine buried his head in Kurt's chest, his own heaving with choking sobs fighting to be let loose.

"It's okay Blaine," Kurt said reassuringly "It's okay. I love you too. It doesn't matter what he says, I love you. Everything's going to be alright."

But even as he spoke, Kurt wasn't sure it was all entirely the truth. Maybe things weren't so okay. Maybe everything wasn't going to be alright.

**/\/\**

Mercedes walked into the hospital and glanced into the waiting room. She didn't see Kurt there, but Finn was slumped over three of the chairs, asleep. She smiled and walked over to him, shaking his shoulder. He jumped with a surprised yelp, falling off the chairs onto the floor. He stared up at the smirking Mercedes with a stunned look on his face.

"What was that for?" he grumbled, pulling himself up onto one of the chairs and yawning widely.

"What are you doing here?" Mercedes asked, hands on her hips.

Finn shrugged, "I walked with Kurt. I guess I fell asleep."

"Did you get any sleep last night?"

"I…uh…some."

"Not good enough," Mercedes rolled her eyes and pointed at the door "Go home. You need the sleep. Just don't fall asleep on the way. I'll tell Kurt where you are."

Finn nodded, too tired to argue. He hauled himself to his feet and stumbled out the door, Mercedes smiling after him and shaking her head. Honestly. Finn was the best big brother anyone could want, but he was just so _thick_ sometimes. Kurt was fine on his own – he wasn't going to fall apart. And it wasn't as if Finn would even know what to do if he did. Mercedes smiled and headed up towards Blaine's room. It was the only place Kurt would be.

As she neared the room, she noted an extremely violent man down the hall being calmed down by a couple of nurses. He was fuming, yelling abuse and swearing. Mercedes frowned. He looked familiar, but she couldn't place him. In the end, she shrugged and poked her head into Blaine's room.

She paused for a moment, mouth dropping open slightly. Blaine was shaking, crying and holding onto Kurt as if the world was ending around him. Maybe it was, because Kurt was whispering quietly into his hair, trembling himself. Mercedes felt awkward, like she was interrupting something she really shouldn't. But Kurt noticed her before she could back out. He gave her a sad smile and mouthed, "Give me a minute."

Mercedes nodded and closed the door quietly.

**/\/\**

Kurt looked back down to Blaine, feeling him starting to calm a little. In a few minutes, Blaine was still. He simply leaned against Kurt, breathing shallow to lessen the pain in his chest. He reached out lifelessly for the clipboard and Kurt handed it to him, watching over Blaine's shoulder as he wrote in shaky writing.

**What do I do now?**

_**Keep on going. You still have people that love you.**_

**I never thought he'd do that**

_**It doesn't matter. He's nothing. **_

**But I still love him. I'm so messed up – he hates me but I still love him**

The last sentence was marked with a stray teardrop. Kurt bit his lip as he replied.

_**He's your dad. You'll always love him, no matter what. But you don't have to worry about him anymore.**_

**I love you**

Kurt smiled as Blaine wrote the three words. He hugged his boyfriend tighter and laughed softly.

"Love you too."

He disentangled himself from Blaine, the dark haired teenager reluctant. He gave Kurt a sad pout, silently asking him not to go. Kurt sighed, managing a smile.

"I'm not going to disappear, Blaine," he said, speaking up to give Mercedes the hint "I'm just going to check on Finn. I don't know if he went home or not-"

He was interrupted by a knock at the door. A second later, Mercedes poked her head in and smiled.

"My boys, what's up?" she asked, walking in. Blaine plastered a small smile on his face, but both could tell it was mostly faked. He was glad to see her, but the past events were just too much at the moment.

"I can come back later…" Mercedes trailed off, both Kurt and Blaine shaking their heads.

"No, it's okay," Kurt replied "I was just going to check on Finn. He should go home – he obviously got as little sleep as I did last night. I don't know why he insisted on coming with me."

"I saw Finn when I came in," Mercedes told him "I ordered him home. He was snoring in the waiting room and disturbing everyone else."

Blaine smiled genuinely at that, Kurt rolling his eyes. That was Finn, alright.

"Hey Kurt, can I talk to you for a sec?"

Kurt nodded, shooting Blaine a reassuring look. Blaine nodded in return as Kurt walked out with Mercedes and shut the door quietly behind him. They moved a little way down the corridor so Blaine couldn't hear them.

"What happened?" Mercedes asked, concern in her voice.

Kurt sighed, folding his arms, "I don't know how, but his father found out. About me and Blaine. He was furious and got violent. Throwing stuff, you know. He told Blaine that he was a disappointment and that he wasn't allowed to set foot at home again."

Mercedes listened in horror, finally recognising where she'd seen the pissed-off man earlier. She'd caught sight of him when she'd checked on Blaine for Kurt, while he was still in a coma.

"That's awful," she said, biting her lip "How is he taking it?"

"Not well. I can't believe the nerve of that man. Doing that to Blaine while he was in hospital after being a coma. It's not fair."

"At least he's got you, and his friends. What about his mom?"

Kurt shrugged, "As far as I know, she doesn't know yet. It only happened a few minutes ago. But she seems alright."

Mercedes nodded, glancing back down the hall. The man had gone now, but the nurses were still cleaning up the mess he'd left behind. A chair had been thrown, other items lay scattered. He was certainly dangerous, Mercedes mused. She hoped nothing serious would happen to Blaine. He'd been through enough, and so had Kurt. It was just one thing after another at the moment with no time to rest between each disaster.

"I should get back," Kurt said, breaking her out of her thoughts "Just… don't let anyone else know."

Mercedes nodded. As Kurt disappeared into Blaine's room again, the girl wondered how much more the pair could take.

**Please review!**


	11. Dirty Little Freaks

**Not much to say, other than there aren't many chapters left to go with this story :( But enjoy this one, and review!**

Kurt closed the door all but silently behind him. The morning air was a little cold, but he could tell it would definitely get warmer later in the day. Still, to ward off the slight chill, Kurt tugged at the scarf around his neck as he set off down the footpath.

It'd been almost two weeks since that incident in Blaine's room. His father had been barred from seeing his son, and Theresa had been stunned by his outburst. She promised Blaine would always be able to come home, no matter what. Kurt didn't know what, if anything, was going on between the parents lately, but it was Blaine he was focused on. He was starting to get his voice back. He could only speak a few words before his voice broke and left him silent. But it was a milestone. Just under a month ago, he hadn't even been conscious. He'd been kept alive by machines, held together with bandages and the sheer will to live.

Kurt pulled his jacket around him tighter as a car swept past him and rustled up a cold wind. He watched the car pass, frowning. He was sure he'd seen it somewhere before. But he couldn't place it, and so kept walking with a shrug. It didn't really matter.

He didn't notice the car slide to a stop a few metres ahead of him. He heard the car door open though and looked up in surprise. When he saw who the driver was, now getting out of the car and walking towards him, Kurt froze almost solid. He couldn't take a step back, he couldn't turn and run.

"You little…" Jack never finished, he shoved Kurt violently. Kurt stumbled backwards, willing himself to _run_. But his muscles refused to work properly. Jack took another step forward, fist flexing.

"My son was perfect. Perfect! And you had to come along and fuck everything up!" he growled darkly, reaching out to grab Kurt. Something inside the teenager snapped; the frost tugging at his muscles melted in a split second, and Kurt turned and ran.

He heard Jack coming after him. His house was still in view, just a hundred metres away. But Jack was taller, stronger, faster. He launched himself into Kurt, slamming him into the pavement. His head cracked the concrete hard and Kurt saw stars. Somehow, he wasn't sure how, he was on his back and Jack was pulling back his fist to punch him. He didn't remember how to move anymore. Jack only landed one punch before stopping. And then he whispered something harshly in Kurt's ear.

"You're pathetic. You deserve to die. You ruined my family. You wormed your way in and broke it down from the inside. I didn't even see it coming. You happy, now that you've completely and utterly fucked up everything I love?"

Someone was yelling his name, so Kurt didn't catch the last few words Jack spat at him. Plus, his head was spinning and his ears were ringing. He could barely see straight. Jack disappeared from his hazy view. He head more yelling, abuse being hurled through the air. He tried to sit up, but his whirling head point-blank refused. Then someone came into his sight and he blinked.

"Kurt, can you hear me? Answer me!" his father demanded, panic in his voice.

"Hurts," Kurt managed to get out.

Burt helped his son to his feet and towards the house. Kurt stumbled a few times, his vision still swimming. But eventually they made it back to the house.

"Finn!"

The teenager appeared almost instantly, like magic. He stared at Kurt in horror as Burt sat him down on the couch.

"What happened?" Finn asked, shocked.

Burt started to answer, but Kurt beat him to it with a weak, "Blaine's dad."

The murder that entered Finn's eyes was impressive and he bit back what he was going to say. It took him a moment to calm down enough to speak civilly.

"I'm going to kill him. I don't care who the hell he is, I'm going to kill him."

"Finn…" Kurt began.

Burt shut him up with a hand over his mouth, "Be quiet, we're taking you to the hospital. It looks pretty bad, but that might just be the blood."

Kurt frowned, wincing at the small movement. Blood? It certainly didn't sound too good, so he gave up fighting and willingly let his father help him back to his feet. He was too dizzy to argue anyway.

**/\/\**

"Can I go now?" Kurt asked, touching his forehead. The cut had been cleaned and covered, looking a lot less deadly than it had before. He knew he'd have one hell of a black eye eventually, but he was forcing himself not to worry about it. At least he was alive.

The doctor smiled and nodded, "Just be careful. You might get some headaches…"

Kurt tuned her out, itching to get out of there to see Blaine. He'd probably be wondering where he was, considering Kurt was always there the moment he was allowed in the door.

The second he could make his escape, he did, leaving Finn and his father behind. Finn rolled his eyes and shook his head. The kid had just been bashed but he was more worried about Blaine. Typical.

Kurt made it to Blaine's room quickly. He didn't stop to think about his injury as he walked in, knocking on the door as he entered. Blaine looked up from his clipboard, his smile fading as he saw Kurt.

Quickly he scribbled something down, then held the paper up for Kurt to see.

**What happened?**

Kurt paused, brushing the cut. How could he have been so stupid? Maybe Jack had hit him harder than he thought – he wasn't thinking straight. He was an awful liar and Blaine didn't need to know that his father had just beaten his boyfriend up.

"Just tripped on my way here. It's nothing," Kurt replied as he sat down.

Blaine gave him a disbelieving look and wrote something else.

**You're an awful liar, Kurt. What really happened? Did someone hurt you?**

Kurt couldn't stop the quick flash of guilt from crossing his face. Blaine's face took on the guilt instantly, multiplying it tenfold. Shakily, he wrote a simple, short question.

**Did my dad hurt you?**

Kurt shook his head, but Blaine knew the truth. He stared, horrified. He reached out and brushed his fingers against the injury, Kurt wincing. Blaine swallowed, pulling back.

**It's my fault. I should have hidden the clipboard better – he saw the notes we were writing and got suspicious. I should have kept it hidden better, it's my faul-**

Kurt gently held Blaine's arm, stopping him from writing anymore. Then he took the pen from Blaine and wrote his own answer.

_**It's not your fault, Blaine. It's mine. If I wasn't so obvious he never would have been suspicious in the first place. I just ruined everything. I'm sorry.**_

**Did he say that to you? That you ruined everything?**

_**Why?**_

**He came in the other day. And, word for word, this is what he said. 'How could you? You ruined everything. You tore this family apart because you couldn't be fucking normal'**

_**But that's not true. **_

**Neither is what he said to you – whatever he said is just lies. He's trying to make you feel guilty so you'll go away and he can have me back. What did he tell you?**

Kurt bit his lip as he replied.

_**He said that I was pathetic. And I destroyed everything he loved, that I ruined his family.**_

Blaine was quiet for a moment, regarding Kurt curiously. Then, slowly, he asked a question.

**He said something else, didn't he? **

_**Nothing I haven't heard a hundred times before.**_

**They're the ones that hurt the most. Someone says something once and you brush it off. But when you hear it over and over again, it gets lodged in your brain. You can never forget it, no matter how hard you try. I know, Kurt, they're the ones that hurt worst of all. What did he say?**

Kurt shot Blaine a worried look, wondering. What had Blaine been through before they'd even met? What had he had to live through? What taunts and hate had he had to listen to?

_**That I deserved to die.**_

**Don't listen to him. Don't believe him. He's a manipulator. He breaks you down, and you don't realise until it's too late to do anything about it – you're too scared. He brings you down so you won't rise up again.**

_**I'm sorry Blaine.**_

**For what?**

_**I don't know. I'm just sorry.**_

**Don't be**

Then Blaine turned to Kurt, smiling slightly. He put an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders, Kurt leaning in slightly.

"Don't be," Blaine said, his voice scratchy and rough, hoarse from lack of use and the abuse it'd suffered "'Cause you didn't do anything wrong."


	12. You Really Got Me Bad

Time flew and all guilt melted away as Blaine went from strength to strength. He forced himself to keep talking until he could keep a conversation going for half an hour or more. He barely needed the clipboard anymore. His biggest achievement was getting out of the bed and walking.

Kurt was there every step of the way, both figuratively and literally. He helped Blaine keep his balance, was there to catch him when he stumbled. After two weeks Blaine could walk up and down the corridor outside his room without help. It was something Kurt hadn't been sure he'd ever see again. Those first few days, when his boyfriend lay unconscious and silent, had been terrifying. There'd been the distinct possibility that he'd never even speak again, let alone walk. He could have slipped away in his sleep and there would have been nothing anyone could do about it. But here he was, grinning and laughing like nothing had happened.

It was the Saturday when everything went wrong.

Kurt was about to walk out the door to head to the hospital when Finn stopped him. Kurt sighed, turning around to tell him he didn't need to keep following him. Jack wasn't going to try and attack him again – he'd made his point. In the last two weeks he hadn't even been seen. But Finn had taken to walking with Kurt to the hospital again. The teenager knew Finn only walked with him in case Jack came back, being the overprotective stepbrother he was.

But he saw the look on Finn's face and said nothing. He could see Finn had something to say, so he let the footballer follow him out of the house. They were silent for a long while, until finally Finn stopped dead in his tracks. Kurt paused and looked around at him.

"Quinn only cares about the prom. I know that."

"Here we go," Kurt muttered under his breath.

"She's lied to me, cheated on me, and doesn't care about me. So why can't I let her go?"

Kurt sighed, continuing on his path. Finn followed, jogging to catch up. The shorter shrugged and answered honestly.

"Because you still love her."

"But then there's Rachel…"

Kurt rolled his eyes at the name, "Ah yes, Miss Rachel Berry. Look, Finn, I don't know why you're asking me. But if you want my advice, which I assume you do since you opened your mouth, then for crying out loud just make up your mind."

"I can't," Finn said miserably.

"Quinn, in all honesty, is everything you said she is. A liar, a cheater. And I think the second someone better comes along she'll be gone. You deserve someone better."

Finn smiled slightly at that, looking down at Kurt, "Like Rachel."

"While I absolutely detest the girl and how she constantly stole solos and was generally annoying, yes. At least she won't leave you for some other idiot."

Finn smiled, not noticing the slight insult within the comment. Kurt smiled, shaking his head knowingly. Eventually Finn would see that being with Quinn was harmful. She had him twisted around her little finger and the sooner he realised that, the better. Kurt knew he shouldn't say too much – even if Finn asked, it wasn't really his place - but he was sure his brother would figure it out for himself soon. He was already well on the way. And then Rachel would be there to help him through what would almost certainly be the most horrific and loud break up in history.

By the time they reached the hospital, Finn was smiling smugly to himself and Kurt was keeping his questions silent. He really didn't want to know what, if anything, Finn was planning. He was quite sure it would involve a screaming Quinn and a revenge plot that would rival anything Puck could dream up.

Kurt left Finn at the door, the taller saying something about grabbing a coffee from down the street before heading back home. Kurt nodded vaguely, heading off towards Blaine's room. As he passed the receptionist, she called out to him. He turned, curious.

"Hi…" he paused, reading her name tag "Juliet."

"How's your friend going?" Juliet asked, brushing a strand of dark blonde hair behind her ear and smiling shyly. Kurt looked at her. She was a new girl, about nineteen or so, pretty and with eager, bright green eyes.

"Blaine? He's great," he replied, smiling "Walking, talking. Might even be able to go home soon."

He didn't miss the flash of disappointment that crossed the girl though she tried to hide it. She gave him a smile, resting her elbow on the desk and head in her hand.

"Good to hear. Hey, maybe you'll have some free time after he goes home."

Kurt laughed to himself silently. He was smart enough to realise she liked him. It was unfortunate for her that he was already taken – and gay.

"I doubt it," Kurt said, "He couldn't go a week without me."

He saw the obvious frown that hit Juliet's face and almost felt bad for it. But he smiled and waved to her as he walked off. As he did, he heard the faint mutter of the receptionist as she ducked back behind her desk.

"All the good ones are gay. Life just isn't fair."

Kurt made his way to Blaine's room and knocked on the door. He heard Blaine call for him to enter and he pushed the door open. His boyfriend was sitting on the edge of the bed and he looked up as Kurt walked in.

"Hey," he smiled as Kurt gave him a hug.

"Hey yourself," the other replied, sitting down beside him "You going to walk out on me just then?"

Kurt caught the slight pang of guilt that flashed on Blaine's face. He frowned, confused. He hadn't meant the comment literally and Blaine knew that. He wasn't that bad a joker. But he wondered about the guilt all the same. He hadn't seen that look since Jack had beaten him up.

"You look happy," Blaine changed the subject, looking to Kurt and wrapping an arm around his shoulder "What's up?"

Kurt smiled uneasily at the sudden swap but went with the flow, "Finn asked me why he doesn't leave Quinn."

"The possessive cheerleader?"

Kurt nodded, "He knows she's playing him, but he doesn't want to leave her. I have the feeling he will though. I dread to think what he was planning."

Blaine agreed, "Finn, planning? As long as he doesn't break up by text he should be alright."

"You haven't met Quinn. She'll kill him if he leaves her now. And on that note, I think the receptionist just tried to ask me out."

Blaine laughed, pressing a soft kiss to Kurt's cheek, "How subtle were you?"

The teenager smiled, "I _can_ be subtle, Blaine. She got the idea though. I distinctly heard 'All the good ones are gay'."

His boyfriend smirked, "Well, you certainly fit the description."

Blaine turned Kurt's head and kissed him gently. His rough lips brushed Kurt's as the other pushed him away.

"No," he said "When you're okay."

"I'm not going to break, Kurt," Blaine smiled, kissing him again.

Kurt gave up his argument, one hand tangling itself in Blaine's hair and the other resting innocently on his shoulder. Blaine pressed himself against Kurt, his hands sitting not-so-innocently on his boyfriend's hips. As the kiss became more desperate and Kurt ended up on his back on the bed, he pushed Blaine back again until they were only a breath apart.

"Kurt, I am completely fine," Blaine raised an eyebrow, eyes begging with that look Kurt just melted under. But he held firm this time, shaking his head.

"Not now. Not here."

Blaine brushed his lips against Kurt's one last time before sitting back, pulling Kurt with him. He put an arm around him, hugging him close. Kurt rested his head against Blaine's chest, feeling the unsteady, fast rhythm. When it didn't calm after a few minutes, Kurt knew something was up.

"Blaine?"

"Yeah?"

"What's going on? Is something wrong?"

Blaine stiffened, "Why would you think that?"

"I'm not stupid. Is it something to do with your dad?"

Blaine sighed, his head resting on top of Kurt's, "I'm going home tomorrow."

Kurt pulled away, looking at his boyfriend with curiosity, "That's good, though. Isn't it?"

Blaine bit his lip before replying, fighting inside to speak, "You won't be able to come and see me."

Kurt tilted his head in confusion, not understanding, "I'll go back to Dalton. Your place isn't that far, is it? I can come and see you when I can."

"That's not what I mean," Blaine said, obviously choosing his words carefully. Kurt's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach as the other continued.

"I don't want you to come and see me."

He pulled away, standing and backing up a step. Blaine reached out to him but Kurt avoided his hand.

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked slowly, wanting to get it straight in his head. What had so suddenly changed?

"My mom has to work all day and she won't be able to take time off to look after me. So I'll be alone all day," Blaine explained, "My dad might come back to the house, and I don't want him to hurt you."

"But he might hurt you," Kurt pointed out.

"He won't. He's never hit me before and the worst he's done is taunt me. He won't hurt my mom either. But he will hurt you, Kurt. He's proved that. And I don't want him to."

Kurt was silent for a moment, processing that in his mind. It sounded genuine, but it made no sense. It might be a few more weeks before he could go back to school. Why was he shutting himself away from him? Like a bolt of lightning, it hit him. He was almost afraid to ask, but he spoke nevertheless.

"Are you sure that's the real reason?"

Blaine stared at him strangely, "Of course. I wouldn't lie to you, Kurt. I don't want you getting hurt because of me. If you're alone he won't hurt you, but if he sees the two of us together…"

"So you don't want me around," Kurt's voice was small, disbelieving.

"No!" Blaine tried to explain "That's not what I meant. It's just until I get back to school. Then everything will be okay."

"So you just don't want to be seen in public. With me," Kurt clarified.

Blaine shook his head, trying his best to explain. But Kurt had heard it all. He bit his lip and backed towards the door.

"I get it," he said sadly as he opened the door. He looked back at Blaine, who was pulling himself to his feet to stop him from leaving.

"Kurt, listen…"

"I have. I've listened."

And with that, Kurt walked away. He heard Blaine calling his name behind him, but he didn't stop. He kept on walking until he couldn't hear the boy's breaking voice anymore, until he was out of the hospital and running down the street. That restricting car-weight, the feeling he'd been free from since Blaine had woken, returned. It was a sudden, heavy and painful tightness in his chest, compressing and squeezing it. He couldn't breathe.

Two voices echoed in his head.

"_I don't want you to come and see me."_

"_Oh, so it's that fag over your own family? Then that's how it's going to be! You're going to wish you'd thought about this, Blaine. Because when you come crawling back home asking to be let back in, you can be sure I'll shut you out. You made your choice!"_

If Blaine wanted to go home, Kurt wasn't going to stop him.


	13. I Am In Misery

**Only one chapter to go :( Hope you enjoy this one though, please review!**

Kurt stared at the clock beside his bed as he lay curled up under the covers. It was eleven already, and he still didn't really feel like getting up. He had nothing to do anyway. He wasn't wanted at the hospital. The only thing to do was get ready to go back to school tomorrow. He'd texted Thad and he'd agreed to pick Kurt up and drive him back to Dalton. He didn't want to face Wes or David, who probably already knew or soon would. And they would ask questions. Thad wouldn't.

He heard the sound of his phone going off for a text. He reached out and picked it up, wondering who it was. He saw the name on the screen and almost deleted the message without reading it. But he paused. Wondering what Blaine had to say, he opened the message.

_Please. Still at hospital. Ill wait til u come. I don't want 2 go without seeing you_

Kurt reread the text before replying, biting his lip in both anger and defeat.

_Just go home. I understand. Don't make it harder by pretending._

The next text took only a few moments to appear.

_Im not. I love you_

_In private. I know you're not as obvious as I am. I'm sorry I made it hard for you._

_The only thing I want is 2 be with u_

_Why can't I believe that anymore?_

Kurt turned his phone off, not wanting to hear from Blaine anymore. It hurt too much.

**/\/\**

Finn _knew_ something was wrong.

He didn't know a lot about his stepbrother, that was for sure, but he did know that something was wrong with him. For a start, he'd been home when he'd made his way back after coffee. He was never home before Finn. He didn't come back until late, when he was kicked out by the hospital staff. And he'd been crying. His eyes were puffy, his cheeks tear stained. But Finn hadn't been able to say anything before Kurt ran to his room and locked himself in. Even Burt couldn't get him to say anything other than 'Just leave me alone, please'.

The next morning Kurt hadn't gone to the hospital at all. He'd slept in for the first time in almost two months. He'd needed it. He slept until midday, not appearing until Finn was clearing up after lunch. He heard the sound of footsteps and looked up to see Kurt walking past. Instantly, he put down the plate he was cleaning and followed his brother.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Kurt said quietly.

Finn didn't believe it for a second. Kurt was emotional, but this was crazy. He just hoped Blaine hadn't suddenly had a heart attack or something and died. But he didn't seem quite upset enough for Blaine to have died. And he'd have told them. It was a little hard to hide that sort of thing for long.

"Kurt," he said just as quietly, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder and turning the teenager to face him "What happened? Was it something to do with Blaine?"

He knew he wasn't good at this stuff. In fact, he was pretty sure he was crap at the comforting thing. But Kurt's eyes filled with tears and he leaned against Finn's chest, holding back sobs. Finn just awkwardly put his arms around him until Kurt found the breath to speak.

"Blaine doesn't want to see me anymore."

Finn stiffened. That was unexpected. Blaine and Kurt were the most devoted couple he'd ever seen. What on earth could have happened to split them apart? He was going to have to have a talk with Blaine. Probably involving yelling and threats to his person if he didn't explain why he'd made Finn's surrogate little brother cry his heart out.

"What? He broke up with you? Why?"

"I think he wants his dad back," Kurt sniffed, trying his best to breathe calmly and explain "His father said he wouldn't let him go home because he chose me over his family. So I guess he's changed his mind."

Finn let go of Kurt and grabbed his jacket. Kurt stared at him strangely.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go knock some sense into the kid," Finn said.

Kurt gave him a watery smile, "He'll be gone. He was going home today."

Finn stopped and looked back at Kurt. The shorter just shook his head.

"I'm going to get ready. Thad's coming to take me back to Dalton."

"Are you sure?" Finn asked.

Kurt nodded, "It's the only thing I can do."

**/\/\**

"Blaine, what did you say to Kurt to make him so depressed?" Wes asked.

Blaine sighed. It was Wednesday, three days after he'd come home. He still hadn't see Kurt, nor had the boy answered any of his texts or calls. Wes and David had come over for the first time since he'd returned and obviously Kurt was back at Dalton. They knew something was up.

"I'm not entirely sure," Blaine replied honestly "But Kurt thinks I don't want him around."

"And I'm assuming that's not true?" David raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Of course not!" Blaine said indignantly at the same moment Wes interrupted with "Are you joking?"

"Alright, alright," David held up his hands in surrender under Blaine's angry glare "Look, Kurt's really upset, and he's barely even turning up to practices. You're moping around at home, so naturally, as best friends, we're worried."

Blaine sighed, running a hand through his hair, "I'm not sure what I did wrong. And Kurt won't talk to me, so he won't tell me."

"Start from the beginning," Wes suggested.

"Well," Blaine started, thinking back "When my dad found out that I was with Kurt, he was extremely pissed off to say the least. He threatened me, and then he actually beat up Kurt."

"Ouch," David said rather insensitively. Wes whacked him on the back of the head to shut him up so Blaine could continue.

"So when I found out I was going home, I was worried that my dad might come around. And if Kurt was here… well, I was worried about him, okay? So I told him not to come around. It was for his own safety! I know Dad wouldn't hurt me, but he already hurt Kurt, so…"

Blaine trailed off, thinking. His father had hit Kurt, had punched him. But he'd also hurt him emotionally, telling him he deserved to die. He'd said that Kurt had ruined his family.

Blaine's mind went into overdrive as everything came flooding back and suddenly, everything made sense.

"How the hell did I miss that?" he yelled, surprising his friends. They stared at him strangely.

"Miss what?" Wes asked, confused.

"My dad told me that if I didn't give up Kurt, I couldn't come home. Mom kicked him out, but that's not the point. Kurt heard him say that."

Realisation was starting to dawn on Wes's face, but David still looked as lost as ever.

"I don't get it."

"Kurt thinks that you chose home over him," Wes said, grinning with the satisfaction of knowing he'd figured it out before David.

"Exactly," Blaine replied "But how the hell am I supposed to tell him that's not true if he won't talk to me?"

The three were silent for a moment. Then Wes and David shared a sly look, the latter smirking mischievously as an idea formed in their minds. Blaine frowned, curious.

"What?"

"I think we may have an idea," David said, rubbing his hands together.


	14. But I Think I'll Be Alright

**This is it - the final chapter :( Just wanted to thank everyone who's reviewed, favourited or put this story on their alerts :) You're all awesome and seeing as this was my first Glee story, it was really cool that you could all give me so much feedback and support :) And now, for utterly shameless self-promotion, I have another three Glee stories if you haven't read them. _Every Awful Thing_ is a one shot about Karofsky and the song Candles, _The Lambert Diaries _is just a bit of fun with the Warblers and ND while they battle it out over Adam Lambert songs for a week, and _Worlds Apart_ is my favourite story at the moment, about an autistic Kurt and how he and Blaine handle the difficulties of life and school. If you liked _Crushed_, check my other Glee fics out!**

**End shamelessness :) And enjoy the chapter!**

Kurt sighed as he picked up his drink and headed towards a table, following behind Wes and David. The pair had cornered him back at school and asked him if he wanted to go grab some coffee with some of the other Warblers. Apparently it was so they could talk about their next move after the Regionals failure. 'Ask' had been more of a 'demand', so Kurt had agreed. Besides, he thought, it'd do him so good to get outside. He'd spent most of his time in his room after returning to school last week. And it was just coffee with the Warblers.

"So where's everyone else?" Kurt asked as he sat down with Wes and David. The pair glanced at each other and smirked, as if some secret conspiracy was passing between them. Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"Please tell me I haven't just been dragged all the way out here by you two for no reason when I could be doing something much more important."

"No," Wes replied "It's not for no reason. It's an intervention."

"Of course," Kurt sighed "Look, I don't want to talk about Blaine, so just leave it alone."

"Who said anything about talk?" David shrugged.

Kurt glanced at both Warblers with curiosity as they looked over to the coffee shop entrance. He followed their gaze and turned to see behind him. He let out a small gasp of shock as he saw the rest of the Warblers walking in, earning glances from the other patrons. As the last one walked in, painfully familiar, Kurt bit his lip and almost turned away. What on Earth were they doing, and what was _he_ doing there with them? But before he could look away, that familiar boy started to sing.

_Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air_

_I know I can count on you_

_Sometimes I feel like saying 'Lord I just don't care'_

_But you've got the love I need to see me through_

Kurt knew he was blushing and wanted to duck his head away from the other people's stares, but he was fixed on Blaine. The boy continued to sing, smiling as he did.

_Sometimes it seems the going is just too rough_

_And things go wrong no matter what I do_

_Now and then it seems that life is just too much_

_But you've got the love I need to see me through_

_When food is gone, you are my daily meal_

_When friends are gone I know my saviour's love is real_

_Your love is real_

Blaine reached Kurt's table and held out a hand. Kurt stared at him, unsure. But in the end he smiled, taking Blaine's hand and standing up as the Warblers started their background singing. Blaine sung every third line, belting out the lyrics as he smiled sorrowfully at Kurt.

_You got the love_

_You got the love_

_You got the love_

_You got the love_

_You got the love_

_You got the love_

The Warblers quietened down a little, letting Blaine take over the main singing again. Kurt smiled as Blaine continued, eyes shut now with the passion of the moment.

_Time after time I think 'Oh Lord what's the use?_

_Time after time I think it's just no good_

_Sooner or later in life, the things you love you lose_

_But you got the love I need to see me through_

As the Warblers launched into the repeat of 'You've got the love,' Blaine pulled Kurt closer. He hugged him tightly, Kurt leaning in against him. With Blaine's arms around him, he continued to hum the background while the other finished the song.

_Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air_

_I know I can count on you_

_Sometimes I feel like saying 'Lord I just don't care'  
>But you got the love to see me through<em>

The entire room was silent for a moment as the Warblers trailed off at the end of the song. Then there was appreciative clapping, with one person calling out 'Good on ya!'

Blaine let go of Kurt and looked at him. The pair stared for a moment, Blaine smiling and Kurt still blushing furiously.

"I'm sorry if I made you think I didn't want you around," Blaine said "Because I do want you around."

There was a cough, followed by a very David-like voice muttering 'He wants more than that', but the pair ignored him apart from Kurt flushing an even deeper red.

"I just wanted to make sure you were safe from my dad," Blaine continued quietly "Because I love you."

Kurt smiled, that car-weight finally lifting from his chest. This time, he hoped, for good.

"I love you too."

Blaine moved in and kissed him, earning the pair a round of semi-awkward 'awws' and a couple of laughs. If it were possible, Kurt went even redder but he didn't push Blaine away. It was only when someone (they suspected Wes, though he and David had identical expressions when they looked up) cleared their throat pointedly that they broke apart.

"I'm still mad at you," Kurt said quietly "I guess you meant well, but you really hurt me, and this time singing isn't going to fix it completely."

"Trust me," Blaine smiled "I will fix it."

"Good," Kurt smirked, turning Blaine and himself around a little so the eavesdropping Warblers couldn't hear "Because I want to see Burlesque again."

"Make out?"

Kurt laughed softly, "We'll see."

**The song is You've Got The Love by Florence and the Machine and it's not mine! Just like Glee :( Hope you enjoyed _Crushed_, cuz I sure loved writing it!**


End file.
